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Here’s a heretical idea, which I’ve expressed before. What if publishers of e-books and other providers of intellectual property charged lower prices in countries where standards of living were dramatically lower than here in the States?

I don’t think profits would suffer that much. In fact, the reverse would happen. People in Swaziland (flag shown above) or Bangladesh would grow more accustomed to the publishers’ wares and keep buying them as incomes rose–perhaps eventually reaching the point where prices could be the same as in the States. With developing countries in mind, I’ve long advocated a global network of national digital libraries, the infrastructure for which the U.S. could help create. They of course would also nurture indigenous writers and publishers, not just serve as conduits for American best-sellers. Crazy? Not quite. Reuters reports from Geneva:

An African plea to fellow World Trade Organization nations seemed to have been heard on Friday, with envoys seeing overwhelming support for a deal to let poor states import life-saving drugs against AIDS and other scourges.

Granted, a break on, say, e-textbooks prices won’t count as much as a break on AIDS drugs, but the same basic concept, to one extent or another, ought to apply.

I can hear the usual arguments–that e-books are advanced technology, too expensive and so on. But that’s going to change. Meanwhile look at the proliferation of cell phones in many developing countries. They have not reached the Los Angeles level, of course, but you get the point. So isn’t it possible that without other alternatives, some phone could eventually be used for reading e-books as affordable technology improves, complete with somewhat larger screens? To your left you can see Tiny Reader in action in its cell phone incarnation. We’re not talking science fiction here.

Simply put, we should look ahead–given the power of knowledge to help raise living standards, including those in the public health area.

Meanwhile, if any book publishers or database providers are offering discount rates for developing countries–and some just might be a little heretical on this issue already–I’d love to hear how those arrangements are working out.

 
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