I won't sign the petition [was: Canadians need not apply!]

[e. wu]

>
>On Thursday, May 1, 2003, at 06:32 PM, PowerBook G4 Titanium List wrote:
>
>> Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 16:43:17 +0200
>> From: Eduard Hoenkamp <hoenkamp at acm.org>
> > Subject: [Ti] I won't sign the petition [was: Canadians need not
> > apply!]
>> Message-id: <p05210600bad6ceeb41c0@[131.174.200.214]>
>>
>> I am unhappy with the petition page mentioned in this digest
>> http://www.petitiononline.com/AppleInt/petition.html which notes:
>> "the ability to buy music from countries other than the U.S. is not
>> available". Yet, iTunes tells me: "you won't be able to purchase
>> music unless your billing[!] address is in the United States". Even
>> if in practice this may amount to the same for many people, the
>> petition seems to express that Apple acts in bad faith. I am not
>> 'dismayed' as the petition declares, perhaps disappointed. But this
>> says something about me, and not about Apple. I would like to grant
>> Apple the time needed to finesse its license and purchasing issues
>> abroad, as these must be hairy issues. Perhaps to test my ploint, I
>> wake up my sleeping billing address in the US and see if I can use
>> this to purchase music even while living abroad. I suggest Apple adds
> a line about the reason for the expressed policy. Eduard.

Why is everyone pointing fingers at Apple? Apple doesn't necessarily control where/what the record companies want to sell. Apple is just a middleman. Just take a look at DVDs. Hello? Region encoding anyone? And as other people are pointing out, can *anyone* really give *any* sort of proof that *any* company isn't selling to a particular country/region because of prejudice? What business *wouldn't* want to make money if they could?