As booksellers around the world continue to feel the pinch of trying to do business in an online retail climate, the French Parliament has taken action that at least intends to protect bookshops in some small way. After passing what it has dubbed the "Anti Amazon Law," it's now illegal to offer free shipping on books in the country. This law is an update to a decades-old law … [Read more...] about France Takes Action to Protect its Treasured Bookshops
Lang Law
New French Law Bars Online Booksellers to Offer Discounts With Free Shipping
The French parliament has passed a law that makes it illegal for online stores to deliver books for free while also offering a 5 percent discount on the price of the book. The move is being seen as a means of protecting the interests of independent booksellers as much as it is to limit Amazon’s monopoly in the segment. As Christian Kert, the conservative MP who tabled the bill … [Read more...] about New French Law Bars Online Booksellers to Offer Discounts With Free Shipping
Quebec Considers Move towards Uniform Book Prices
In what is sure to become a hotly contested issue, the government of Quebec is looking at legislation that would make book prices mandated by the publishers and nearly unchangeable by the retailers. In what was supposed to be a move to give the independent booksellers a leg up over major chain retailers, online retailers, AND ebook distributors, the publishers would set one … [Read more...] about Quebec Considers Move towards Uniform Book Prices