ABSTRACT
Territoriality is an area that has been debated more frequently following the ease of publishing across borders via the internet. Specialist publishing has tended to be global in scope but the consumer market has traditionally had a more territorial approach, and this is undergoing a shift. Publishers have been accustomed to buying print rights to particular territories: for instance, English language rights for the US might be separate from those for the UK and Commonwealth. Breaches in these rights, while possible, were less frequent given the limitations in the physical product. Products could be imported at lower prices but this did not really affect the market in a major way. However, the ease of publishing into different territories via the internet has
changed the approach. Controlling territorial limits can be difficult in a digital world. Publishers will control where they distribute their electronic products according to their rights agreements as far as they can. Some are particularly aware of a need to protect markets where they have dominated with their English language print editions; they want to avoid having cheap digital versions from outside their territory undercutting their own digital products. Sellers of digital books also try to abide by the rights agreements: Amazon, for example, do control what you can buy via their websites for different countries; it is also difficult to buy a US-only product on a UK Kindle. Technologically it is possible to manage territory rights.
