Region locked books is kinda lolworthy.
I guess 'they' should just tear up all those publishing contracts and make a big bonfire out of them, eh!
Actually, I'm fine with companies respecting their agreements, and publishing/distribution contracts -- I'm all for it. I just think there's an unreasoning degree of paranoia and craptacularness with blocking users by their IP address. If something costs money, use my credit card's billing address. If something's free, let me access it. If it's free where my billing address shows me to be, there shouldn't be anything wrong with me receiving it. Because if I can fly to the USA, use my iPod to download a book that I couldn't download from my previous physical location,
they're doing it wrong, where all values of "it" are "internet."
I understand that they're concerned that they can be sued for impinging on someone else's contract; if Random House is publishing at USD5 in North America and they've subcontracted to Shueisha who are selling in the Very Different Japanese Publishing Market putting out the same book in four slim volumes at 1000 yen each... they're going to feel threatened. But this overarching IP block they've put in place for their marketplace sales have largely hobbled the usefulness of their app right out of the gate.
It's not like I'm even at a shortage for stuff to read, especially thanks to your recent and kind delivery of one-fourth of the Library of Freakin' Congress. I'm just incensed that IP address blocking for media, which hobbled my Xbox 360's ability to rent movies even when I want to pay for them, for free Hulu TV viewing, for Pandora's music recommendation system... is now being applied by the previously beligerent and fearless appearing Google... on books.
