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Paradoxically, the global expansion of ebook platformssuch as Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, and Koboat first resulted in fragmentation within a basically integratedeconomic space such as the EU. Although this fragmentationmay lessen over time, it highlights a deeperproblem that results from contradictory policies betweenmember states of the EU and the European Commission,which is calling on publishers, retail platforms, and nationalgovernments to embrace digital change more boldlyand create a single market for ebooks (see this blog entryby Commissioner Neelie Kroes and launching an ebookround table from June 2012).In Sweden, there is no Amazon.se website, probably becauseAdlibris, a local Swedish platform run by a local company,Bonnier, has a strong presence; in addition, the Swedishmarket is too small to fight over, at least for such a globalbehemoth as Amazon. Furthermore, many Swedish consumersare also readers of English-language books and caneasily purchase them online, even from Amazon, if theywish. But how long will such exceptions be sustainable?Legal battles are not limited to Europe, as also in severalemerging economies, policies - or at least local specifics -aim at preserving local markets from bein overrun by globalplayers.In India (one of the most attractive emerging economies),Amazon could not get a license for opening a local enterprise;this situation allowed one local Indian equivalent,Flipkart, to build relevant market positions. (A second, IndiaPlaza,has failed, though. Only in August 2012 couldAmazon open a dedicated site with a huge catalog of morethan a million titles priced in rupees.91 The Global eBook Report

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