As someone living in Canada, I can VPN my way through the IP barriers. So that isn't an issue for me. But when it comes to paying, they sometimes still don't want my money if they see a Canadian address. There is definitely something wrong with a business model that must function this way.
The VPN system, while it works, is a barrier for most people and should not be considered anything more than skating with a broken ankle, because while you may win the Stanley Cup, you still have a broken ankle. It is only a solution for the elite and desperate and a symptom of the fact that the game is too rough, and may require the rules to be changed. (that analogy proved to be far more useful than I had hoped)
