jecasc - 9:42 pm on Feb 9, 2011 (gmt 0)

Haha, happens all the time to me. At first I would back of but then I dug a little deeper into European competiton law and found out that manufacturers in selective distribution systems are not allowed to prevent the online sale of their goods by brick & mortar stores inside the EU. (However they can refuse to sell to online only businesses). Now if one of the manufacturers tries to pull a stunt like this a fire a broadside of paragraphs.

Perhaps you should check if there are similar laws in your jurisdiction. Search for something like "vertical restraints" or "vertical agreements" and "internet".