There should be a LAW against that! (MAPP: What, Why, and Why not? - Part 3 of 3)
1,728 views · Published 19 June 2017 · 5:04 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Game Night Picks · 2017 · Gaming
Welcome to the third in our three part series on Minimum Advertised Price, or MAP, policies in the board game industry. Previously, we’ve discussed how a MAP policy affects the lowest price that physical and online board game retailers can advertise the products that they sell, and one publisher’s argument for MAP pricing, stating that under a MAP policy the value of their products would actually be enhanced in their customers’ eyes. Because, sure, anything’s possible, I guess. And maybe it’ll rain beer. Help fund Season 4 of Pair Of Dice Paradise! https://podpledge.com/podp Funny story, way back in 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minimum sale price programs were in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, asserting that minimum resale price policies were indistinguishable in economic effect from naked horizontal price fixing by a cartel; and outlawed them. And so it was, for 96 years, until 2007, when the Supreme Court case of Leegin Creative Inc. vs PSKS Inc., resulted in the court overturning the ban on such pricing policies by a narrow margin of 5-4. Or, as noted in an article published on the pop culture news website icv2.com shortly after the the law was overturned, “In that 1911 case, the court decided that these vertical pricing agreements did not benefit the consumer and banned them outright.” They went on to include an explanation of the court’s reasoning behind their change of position, “The [Supreme Court’s 2007 reversal] does not mean that it is now acceptable for manufacturers to immediately implement programs that will turn their 'minimum suggested retail prices' into ironclad minimum retail prices, which, if not followed at the retail level, would result in the cut-off of supply or other punitive measures.” But, if you replace the phrase “retail prices” with “advertised prices”, it starts to sound eerily similar to the MAP policies we’re starting to see publishers introduce. So, with that in mind, I’ll conclude with a question for you, my fellow player and purchaser of tabletop games. Minimum pricing policies were prohibited for nearly a century because they “did not benefit the consumer”. Alright then, now that they’re infiltrating the board game marketplace, tell me, how HAVE the publishers’ Minimum Advertised Pricing policies benefited you, the consumer? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Board game component upgrades sponsored in part by: TopShelfGamer.com Board games sponsored in part by: FunAgain.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Like Pair Of Dice Paradise? Give us a "heart" vote on Board Game Links! http://www.boardgamelinks.com/links/details/1416 More Pair Of Dice Paradise on the web: Homepage: http://www.pairofdiceparadise.com YouTube page: https://youtube.com/pairofdiceparadise Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pairofdiceparadise Twitter: https://twitter.com/DiceParadise Google+ page: https://plus.google.com/+PairOfDiceParadise Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/pairofdiceparadise BoardGameGeek Guild: http://boardgamegeek.com/guild/1842
