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France: New law aims to protect local bookstores from Amazon

By  |  October 3, 2013

France launched new legislation Thursday that would bar online retail giant Amazon from shipping books for free on top of its mandatory five percent discount on books, a measure looking to protect the nation’s independent bookstores, say reports.

France, culturally known for its bookshops, has seen a rise in online book sales from 3.2 percent in 2003 to 13.1 percent in 2011.

The new legislation would extend socialist-era laws passed in 1981 that curbed book discounting.

Today, with the rise in online book sales, some publishers are accusing Amazon of “dumping” books in the nation in anti-competitive moves in the market.

The bill now faces the Senate for approval; reports say the body is expected to clear the legislation by the end of the year.

Full Content: Reuters

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