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From: Charlie.Mingo@p4218.f421.n109.z1.FidoNet.Org (Charlie Mingo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.wanted
Subject: A Europe-aware mail-order software place?
Message-ID: <675640814.3@blkcat.FidoNet>
Date: 30 May 91 21:42:24 GMT
Article-I.D.: blkcat.675640814.3
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nick@cs.ed.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell) writes:

NR> When I was across in the US I had a chance to flick through a MacWarehouse
NR> catalogue. Cor, all this Mac software... over here, I can get MS Word or
NR> perhaps even MS Word, and that's about it unless I look for an official
NR> Apple dealer (I've now found three) and pay through the nose. So,
NR> do any of the US-based software distributors run mail-order to Europe?
NR> 
NR> What I'm after ideally is a place that sends out quarterly (say) catalogues
NR> for free or some nominal charge, accepts orders by fax or phone against VISA
NR> cards, and ships UPS overseas. I'm sure there's a market over here for US
NR> Mac software at your ridiculously low US prices...

   While I encourage you to obtain all the s/w you can from MacWarehouse (or,
better yet, MacConnection: +1 603 446-7711; fax +1 603 446-7791), you may run
into trouble trying to do this.  Symantic recently sent me a catalog with a long
warning about doing what you propose...


    "INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE AVAILABLE FOR OVERSEAS USE"

    "Computer users outside the United States and Canada sometimes don't have as 
many sources of software as their counterparts in North America. For that reason, 
people on this continent occasionally try to send software to their friends 
abroad. While that spirit of generousity is admirable, computer users in the 
United States and Canada should be aware that sending domestic software abroad is 
always a bad idea, and is often also illegal.

     "During the past few months, Symantic has been alerted to a number of 
private shipments containing its software that were stopped by US Customs on the 
way to destinations overseas. Though most Symantic packages distributed in the 
United States and Canada have bold notices signalling that they are for use only 
in North America, some customers are trying to export them anyway -- only to find 
that they not only face a fine but may never even see their products again.

     "These products are limited to this continant for several reasons. In some 
cases, the technology incorporated in these these products (such as the 
encryption information in The Norton Utilities) cannot be distributed 
internationally without a license from the US Department of State [actually
Dept. of Commerce]. In other cases, allowing shipments directly from North 
America undermines the market for local dealers, thereby decreasing the amount of 
service and support available in that region."

     [It goes on to describe a Symantic program to swap domestic for 
international versions of Symantic s/w for people who have purchased the wrong 
type.]

     I don't know if MacWarehouse or MacConnection pay any attention to export 
restrictions, but if your shipment is seized and confiscated by US Customs, don't 
say you were never warned....


 * Origin: "Up to a point, Lord Copper" -- Waugh (1:109/421.4218)