Comments on: Legally Mandated RPM in the German Book Market http://truthonthemarket.com/2007/12/16/951/ Academic commentary on law, business, economics and more Thu, 24 May 2012 02:37:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Blucap http://truthonthemarket.com/2007/12/16/951/#comment-7110 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:58:40 +0000 http://www.truthonthemarket.com/2007/12/16/951/#comment-7110 Europe has a tradition of “protecting” the prices of books. Book-cartels are normal over there. The reasons I hear are not convincing, but impressive to the ignorant: protecting small book stores, preserving small languages (e.g. Dutch).

The inflated prices are supposed to offer snobbish writers of “literature” a decent income. Sure.

Before Internet, it may have made sense, but today anyone can specialize and make a living in books written in small (dying) languages.

The UK freed its books cartel some years ago; since then reading has become much more popular, even if it means reading the Biography of Victory “Posh Spice” Beckham. Who cares what people read!

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