EU parliament abolishes geo-blocking partly

Netflix and e-books are still excluded from the regulation.

One small step towards the ideal of a single-market without discrimination.

Who likes to do online shopping is probably familiar with this problem: The desired product is either more expensive in one’s own country of residence compared to a neighbouring country or not even available. Also, when using certain online services (like booking a rental car) the consumer is being confronted with discrimination, based on his or her location. This practice used by online retailers is called “geo-blocking” and has been a pain in the European Union’s neck for a long time. Now the European Parliament announced the end of geo-blocking – at least partly. Consumers can now decide from where to order goods or services on their own. The retailers have to omit redirecting them to alternative websites with different prices, let alone blocking them from visiting a website which does not accord with the customer’s current location.

This regulation is being praised like a huge success, but there are some downsides to it: The online retailer is not obliged to actually deliver the product to the desired country. He simply has to provide the possibility for the consumer to pick up the good or organise the delivery on his or her own. Furthermore, copyrighted content such as e-books, music or content on streaming platforms like Netflix is still excluded from the regulation and therefore a big point of criticism. According to the European Consumer Centre, the ongoing geo-blocking is being perceived as annoying and incomprehensible by the consumer. An abolishment of this restrictions would bring the EU much bigger success and reputation in front of the population.

More information on the regulation can be found at the European Parliament.