# Is there a legal way to get around country specific Amazon kindle restrictions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105 "2020-01-28T11:55:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/1 "2020-01-28T11:55:10Z")
Let’s say I want to purchase a kindle book which is available for purchase on the amazon Canada website but not the U.S version due to copyright issues. One such example is the complete works of Oscar Wilde compiled by Delphi Classics. What are the legalities for a U.S citizen wanting to make such a purchase? Would I have to actually go to Canada for it to be legal, or are there other ways around the restriction without running afoul of the law? Assuming being physically present in Canada is all it would take, how would the Amazon kindle store know I was actually in Canada to enable such as purchase? Again, I’m not looking for advice on how to do anything illegal, more on where the line is and what the options are for staying on the correct side of the line in this sort of matter. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/2 "2020-01-28T13:13:51Z")
Whenever a device connects to the Internet, it is assigned an [IP address](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address). And when a device connects to a server, the server knows the IP address of the device, because the server needs to know where to send back a response. So the server knows what network provider the device is connected to, and generally, that tells them the geographic location of the device. I think _any_ way to get around it is against copyright protection laws. A publisher may have publication rights in one country but not another. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/3 "2020-01-28T13:34:03Z")
I don’t know if you went to Canada, bought the book, then went bac to the USA, whether it would still work. I recall in the early days of the iPod someone complained that when they moved to Canada, a number of their iTunes Store purchased songs stopped working because Apple did not have those sales rights in Canada. Similarly, Netflix does not care what country your account is in (or didn’t used to). They only care - by IP address - what country you are currently in when you try to watch a show. For a while, Canadians were watching US shows by using a VPN with an outlet in an American address, but apparently Netflix got too many complaints from movie distributors and Canadian competitors; now they’ve complied lists of American VPN IP addresses and block those from watching USA Netflix. So the short answer is - there’s only one way to find out. You may be able to buy something and find it stops working when you change countries, unless the work is sold without digital rights restrictions. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/4 "2020-01-28T13:42:18Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I don’t know if you went to Canada, bought the book, then went bac to the USA, whether it would still work. Obviously, if you went to Canada and bought a physical, on-paper book and brought it back to the US, it would still “work.” And as far as I know, there would be nothing illegal about doing so (someone correct me if I’m wrong). The OP asked about legality, not about what would work, although if there’s DRM involved, it may be illegal to try to subvert the DRM. Although not all e-books sold on Amazon have DRM; and Delphi Classics also sells their books directly from their own site. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/5 "2020-01-28T14:02:26Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > So the short answer is - there’s only one way to find out. You may be able to buy something and find it stops working when you change countries, unless the work is sold without digital rights restrictions. But even if it works, it doesn’t necessarily mean it was legal for you to do it. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/6 "2020-01-28T14:03:22Z")
On the copyright issue, I am quoting the 1998 US Supreme Court ruling but how it applies to this case maybe nuanced. Maybe Acsenray can clarify since he has expertise in this area : “ The court ruled that copyrighted items made overseas—and that includes not only books but also CDs, DVDs, computers, watches and anything else with copyrighted material in it—are covered by a federal law that says a person who buys such a product is free to turn around and sell it. The ruling came in a case involving Supap Kirtsaeng, a student from Thailand who was surprised by the high cost of academic textbooks when he arrived in the U.S. to attend college. He asked his parents to search bookstores back home and send him much cheaper English language versions—published overseas and sold at a fraction of the price—of the same texts.“ Cite : [Supreme Court Backs Student in Dispute Over Used Textbook Sales](https://www.cnbc.com/id/100569141) ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/7 "2020-01-28T14:26:11Z")
According to Amazon, it appears to be based on which “website” your account is attached to. [Link.](https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201248840) The idea is that you can transfer your account to Amazon Canada, then buy things through the Canada version of Amazon. Your content will then transfer, however: > [@](#): > > May Transfer > > The following content will transfer to your new Amazon account, as long as the content is available for purchase from the new Amazon website. > > Kindle books \ So, you can theoretically change your account to Amazon Canada, buy a book, then change back to Amazon USA, but the book will not transfer if it is not for sale in USA. You can leave your account on Amazon Canada, but then you’re buying from Canada, which may make using Amazon rather difficult for a US resident. I’m not entirely sure if it is illegal to buy from Amazon Canada if you’re not a resident of Canada, or present in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/8 "2020-01-28T14:40:44Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Similarly, Netflix does not care what country your account is in (or didn’t used to). They only care - by IP address - what country you are currently in when you try to watch a show. I originally signed up for Netflix as a US account, and just go DVDs mailed to me in Panama, not using the streaming service at all. Eventually Netflix made a streaming service available in Panama, and I signed up for streaming as well. Although I use the same Netflix account when I am in the US and in Panama, certain titles are not available to me when I am in Panama. I can only access them when I am physically in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/9 "2020-01-28T14:41:20Z")
IME, Cheesestrak has yhe correct answer. Amazon works differently than Netflix WRT IP addresses and such. Logging on in a different country will not change what is available to stream or purchase. The restrictions are based on your account. Traveling to the UK, for example, will not allow your to stream something like Picard, unless you purchase CBS All Access, even though Picard is available for free on Amazon Prime UK. It’s the same for e- books, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/10 "2020-01-28T14:55:13Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > IME, Cheesestrak has yhe correct answer. Amazon works differently than Netflix WRT IP addresses and such. Logging on in a different country will not change what is available to stream or purchase… My experience has been different. I was watching a show on Amazon in the US that was not available in India. I was told there were two options : 1. Download the show before you leave the US. Then you get 48 hours on Amazon to complete an episode once you **start** it regardless of where you are. 2. Use premium VPNs like Windflix which have specific VPN servers dedicated for use on Netflix and Amazon ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/11 "2020-01-28T15:07:25Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Let’s say I want to purchase a kindle book which is available for purchase on the amazon Canada website but not the U.S version due to copyright issues. One such example is the complete works of Oscar Wilde compiled by Delphi Classics. You could, of course, buy it directly from the [Delphi Classics website](https://www.delphiclassics.com/). The quality of their books is excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/12 "2020-01-28T15:30:35Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > My experience has been different. I was watching a show on Amazon in the US that was not available in India. I was told there were two options : > > 1. Download the show before you leave the US. Then you get 48 hours on Amazon to complete an episode once you **start** it regardless of where you are. > > 2. Use premium VPNs like Windflix which have specific VPN servers dedicated for use on Netflix and Amazon Im not sure what you’re saying. Do you have an India account or US? If you have a US account, you cannot view a show only viewable in India regardless of whether you actually travel to India or use a premium VPN service to pretend that you did. If you have an India account and are able to watch US shows, that doesn’t really prove the inverse. Also, I dont understand why you needed either of those two options if, like you said, you were able to watch the show in yhe US. Why bother downloading it first if you can stream it with no problem? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/13 "2020-01-28T15:40:10Z")
hmmm. Just tried something. Won’t get into it on this board. But I retract my statement, am77494. You are correct. Strange that it did not work before. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/14 "2020-01-28T15:46:43Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Im not sure what you’re saying. Do you have an India account or US? If you have a US account, you cannot view a show only… I have a US account. I travelled to India last month over Christmas. The show I was watching was on Amazon Prime. Amazon let’s me download about 2 seasons (26 episodes approximately ) on my iPad. I could play the downloaded episodes in India (with 48 hours time limit to finish watching each episode once you hit play). But Amazon would not stream the show in India citing country restrictions. If I had Windflix (premium VPN for streaming) running and selected a server in the US, I would have been able to stream the Amazon show in India. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/15 "2020-01-28T16:02:00Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > . Why bother downloading it first if you can stream it with no problem? My primary reason for downloading, was to be able to watch the show for the 14+ hours of flight and layovers. But I lucked out (as I say above) to be able to watch the downloaded content when I got home in India, especially when streaming of the same content was not allowed in India. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-legal-way-to-get-around-country-specific-amazon-kindle-restrictions/847105/16 "2020-01-28T16:44:46Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > If I had Windflix (premium VPN for streaming) running and selected a server in the US, I would have been able to stream the Amazon show in India. The trouble I was having was the reverse of that. I have a US account but I live in Germany and travel through Europe often. Watching US shows has been easy. Watching shows that shoud be available in my current country has not been. It seems the trick is to log in using the country specific amazon web site, and not the .com site. Also, one cannot use the US app regardless of IP address. To make it work, one must use yhe website and have a corresponsdng IP. So as long as I dont use the app or the .com, I can watch things (like Picard) that are only available for free locally. If I open the app, it wants me to pay extra for CBS All Access.