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From: daves@dbase.A-T.COM (Dave Schnepper)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.programmer,alt.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: "Not for Export stickers"
Message-ID: <589@dbase.A-T.COM>
Date: 6 Jun 90 17:47:28 GMT
References: <551@venice.SEDD.TRW.COM> <2955@unocss.unomaha.edu> <29406@ut-emx.UUCP> <YaE5zGS00UoaM7lURx@andrew.cmu.edu> <30558@cup.portal.com>
Reply-To: daves@dbase.UUCP (Dave Schnepper)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Ashton Tate Development Center Glendale, Calif.
Lines: 20

Software Publishers often put the "Not for export" stickers on US products
to prevent the "grey market" problem in other countries.

For instance, Ashton-Tate's Framework III (English) is sold in France, for
a higher price than Framework III (French) and is also higher than
a Framework III English sold in US.  However, buying the FW III English
in France (at the higher price) assures you of support from our French
distributor.  Buying the US English product gives you support in the
US (and we do get calls from time-to-time), but does not assure you of
support in French.  You get the picture.

Primarily, the stickers are there to prevent a retailer from buying up
a trailerload in the US, selling them for cheap outside the US, and
resulting in unhappy customers when they realize they must phone the
US for support as the retailer bypassed the distributor.

Further discussion (if any) to comp.misc.  This group isn't appropriate
for a long discussion on the topic.

Dave Schnepper