Norway warns Amazon against Kindle launch

Not here, and not like that

Posted in Law, 30th October 2009 16:09 GMT

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Norway's Consumer Council reckons the Kindle breaches Norwegian law, and will have to change radically before any local launch.

It's not the first group to complain about Amazon's vice-like grip on the Kindle, not to mention its supporting services and customer information, but the Norwegian Consumer Council is able to impose fines against any company trading illegally in Norway, and believes that Amazon might just fit the bill.

The Norwegian Consumer Council has been trawling through Amazon's terms and conditions for the Kindle, and notes that the very language used is probably illegal, as Norwegian law requires such contracts to be clearly written.

Beyond that there are the usual complaints about Amazon locking content to the device, and concerns about privacy (specifically as reading habits are warehoused in the US, outside the jurisdiction of EU privacy laws). The Council also notes that the Kindle comes with a one-year warranty, compared to the five years mandated by Norwegian law.

But more generally the Council is concerned about device manufacturers imposing unreasonable restrictions on users, and would like to remind everyone that, in Norway at least, the rights of consumers will be protected. ®

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