If you do business through iTunes and the Apple book app, you have probably gotten an e-mail from Apple advising you to be sure that you comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act. If you are a “trader” you have to register. This will make your information, including contact information and address, available to both readers and regulators in EU member nations.
Why?
From the EU site:
“What are the key goals of the Digital Services Act?
The DSA protects consumers and their fundamental rights online by setting clear and proportionate rules. It fosters innovation, growth and competitiveness, and facilitates the scaling up of smaller platforms, SMEs and start-ups. The roles of users, platforms, and public authorities are rebalanced according to European values, placing citizens at the centre.”
That doesn’t sound so bad, but here’s the part that raises my eyebrows (besides having my physical address, phone number, and email available to any reader or regulator who wants to see it:)
“For society at large
- greater democratic control and oversight over systemic platforms
- mitigation of systemic risks, such as manipulation or disinformation”
Further reading of links to the rules and reasons for businesses includes protecting small businesses. How this applies to people who sell through a larger distributor I couldn’t easily locate on the EU site.
If you are a “trader,” meaning you sell something as part of your trade/job, or sell a lot of something, or make money from what you do, you have to make your corporate name, physical address, phone number, and e-mail address available to consumers and regulators. In the case of Apple, it is visible on your iTunes information page. If you are registered as a trader one presumes that the information must appear on other distribution sites, and your sales website, if you have one.
If you are a hobbiest, then this is not something you need to comply with. Nor if you don’t sell books as part of your job. Where the line between “sell books as a hobby” and “sell books as a side job” falls … seems unclear, at least in what I’ve been able to find without tracking down the entire regulation within the EU regulations and laws.
According to chatter on the KBoards on Amazon, Amazon is considered the trader, while authors are consignors, like people who hire an auctioneer to sell their home or old tractor. By that logic, only if you sell direct-to-public through your website, or hand-sell books in the EU, are you a trader for EU regulatory purposes. (There are also some choice words for Apple requiring authors to register as traders if they are only making their books available for distribution via iTunes.)
That typed: IANAL, and I have not been able to find a legal answer one way or the other. If you sell books via Apple, you have to register unless you provide proof that you are a hobbiest who does not make money selling books. If you sell via Amazon, you do not need to register (yet). If you have your own site, you do have to register. If you are confused, you are not alone.
I’m starting to look at my sales within the EU compared to the risks involved in having to make my personal information known to casual buyers. Depending on what happens, restricting sales to non-EU markets might be in the cards.
For more information:
Mad Genius Club 
31 responses to “EU Book Sales and “Disinformation Prevention:” The EU Digital Services Act”
My first thought: would they accept a PO Box address? Though of course that means the author has to rent one.
Just looked it up. Answer is yes, but they require evidence such as a receipt or bill.
And not having rented a PO Box (my apartments had them assigned already), I don’t know if the receipt includes the renter’s physical address.
Our ancestors came to this country because they didn’t like those ‘European Values’ such as serfdom and collectivism.
And that ‘greater democratic control and oversight’ translates in practice into ‘greater Democrat Party control and oversight’. Because there’s nothing they want more than greater control over our lives. Well, they can shove it.
Reminds me a bumper stick I once saw “New Europe, reminding you why your ancestors left Old Europe”.
Akshully, Europe is out side the Democrat Party region of America, so it is greater sparkling fascist control and oversight.
The misinformation is from academia, and the wannabe tyrants of Europe are in a cult that thinks that academic results are automatically valid and can be freely imposed on the public without public consent.
Contrariwise, if a populist political organization were to cut off government funds to academia, this would very much be the essence of democracy.
The modern academic researchers in ‘protecting democracy’ and in ‘restoring trust in experts’ seem to be mostly theoretically incorrect, and too unwise to realize that step one of succeeding is a) shut up b) realize where own mistakes contributed to discrediting the idea of academic expertise, by imposing costs that drew public attention, and were obviously unfair in how they treated ‘uneducated’ workers who are not doing portable computing tasks c) strictly mind one’s own business, and focus on excellence in the work that one is actually competent to do.
Now, it may be that I am simply an irritable madman, and not actually correct to say these things. But, you all can form your own valid opinions about that. Because you are adults mentally competent to not be confined for your own safety and well being.
If they want to extradite me from Texas, they can try. Let’s hear it for ghost books.
For what it’s worth, when I applied for an amateur radio license, the FCC only required my mailing address. I use a mail drop in the nearest city (a few dozen miles from my home), and they were quite happy with that. (The mail drop also makes for easier UPS/FedEx/USPS deliveries since it’s a business rather than residential. I find it well worth the $100 a year I pay. YMMV)
Likewise the FAA. If you use a PO box, they want a physical address for their records (finding you if you go missing on a flight), but it is not public knowledge. I’m not so sure that the EU won’t change things and insist on a physical location at some point.
Physical Address: 1060 W. Addison St. Chicago IL 60613 is popular. Tell them Jake sent you.
😀
Lol.
And LMAO: apparently Redfin thinks that’s a condo worth $512 K
I wonder what would happen if the EU control freaks looking for you run into the Illinois Nazis looking for Jake and Elwood.
May they have much joy of each other. 😀
Supposedly the most common street address for many store loyalty cards is (was?)… 1313 Mockingbird Lane.
I have used “Laurentz Beria, #2 Dzerzinsky Square,” City, State, Zip, on several store discount cards. 🙂
Looks at the amount of hassle it’s going to be to go pick through my books at draft2digital to get them off of Apple. Starts to think seriously about delisting my backlist from non-Amazon outlets and dumping everything into KU
I want to be wide, but I want to live forever, too, and that’s not gonna happen, so I am definitely in the market currently for simplification opportunities (like not worrying about venues that sell a couple of units/year).
Draft2Digital has been wonderful for idiot-proofing the wide process for me, and when I started out I relied on them to convert my manuscripts to ebook format. But those extra venues have never sold much, and I enjoy that weird satisfaction when one lonely reader seems to nibble on a book I have in KU (currently Wolf’s Trail, previously the space operas) and then gallop through it in a couple days.
There’s no reason for them to know our physical address, unless they want people people stalking us.
Hang on… doesn’t mean the EU nonsense is in direction violation of the EU’s privacy laws?
…doesn’t THAT mean…
Since when has the government ever obeyed its own laws?
ArtStation is doing the same thing, They were bought up by EPIC, who has also bought up SketchFab and some other art sites/vendors. Now, like it was said above, if you do a certain amount of business sales, you have to register as a trader. So, nope, just a hobbiest for me. My info shows up on the darkweb enough already as it is. Don’t need folks showing up at my house.
Besides, I bet they are thinking of convenience…if they have your address, and you post something on SM that they don’t like it’s much easier to send the cops to arrest you. If they have to actually look it up that takes time and man power.
Yes. The “disinformation” line made me twitch. Who decides what in your art or fiction is “disinformation?”
As was proven/reinforced in 2020, the largest most prolific source of disinformation & misinformation is Governments and their agents.
[…] ASK NOT WHOM THEY WANT TO SILENCE. IT’S ALL OF US: EU Book Sales and “Disinformation Prevention:” The EU Digital Services Act. […]
Forgive me, please; this is meant as help and not as snark or “Gotcha!”, honestly.
It’s “hobbyist” and “co-signers.”
Again, my apologies.
I don’t understand what you mean by “co-signer.” If you consign something to be sold at an auction, you are a consignor/ consigner. If you agree to help with a loan or you are the secondary party to a contract, you are co-signer. Is there a tertiary legal meaning for “co-signer” that I’m unfamiliar with?
I understand now what I didn’t understand before. Thank you, and further apologies.
No apology needed! There are some legal terms that I’m not familiar with, or that have different usages in contracts as compared to everyday English. That’s why I asked.
It’s honestly not a word you see very often these days (except in contracts).
In legal dictionaries, too, the words with “consign” in them still also have the meaning of the parties and actions of selling goods – a transaction in which the ownership of the goods is actually transferred. That’s why in most sales contracts these days, “seller” and “purchaser” are used in preference, except in shipping contracts, where the meaning is clear that the shipper does not have ownership, but only temporary possession.