Re: [tlug] Japan to Tax E-Content

[Darren Cook <darren@example.com>]

>>> Well I dont see why we cant all just use a DNS tunneling service or VPN to
>>> access amazon from a non-Japanese IP adress when we buy digital things.
>> There has been one Kindle book I couldn't buy (from U.S. Amazon) as the
>> publisher hadn't enabled it for Japan. My Japanese address is tied to
>> the credit card I use, and my kindle is tied to my account, so it wasn't
>> even possible to "deliver it to a friend".
>>
>> I.e. I am much more resident-in-Japan than just my IP address.

> ...
> VPN to one of my addresses and you'll be doing what the heck you want.
> Otherwise, I'll just send your file.

I think you misunderstood. I don't need to use a VPN: I could have been
standing in the Amazon US head office and I wouldn't have been able to
do the purchase of this particular book because my Amazon US account has
my Japanese address as the registered address, and this correlates with
the address on the credit card I use.

In other words: it is my country of residence that matters here, not my
IP address. You don't become a different person to commercial services
just because you come at them from a different router [1].

I was told the only way to purchase the book was to switch my kindle to
be registered with a U.S. address (and show proof of living there).

(The book in question was set for sale only in North America; the
publisher had not checked the boxes to allow sale in the rest of the
world. Amazon offer this option as sometimes there are exotic copyright
conditions like that; in this case the publisher had just made a mistake.)

Darren

[1]: Unless they are willing to do transactions in bitcoin *and* do not
need to get a verifiable physical address from you.