Amazon is being targeted by a proposed class action lawsuit from author CD Reiss, who is accusing the tech giant of adopting techniques and practices that lets it have unilateral control of the audiobook market. That includes charging higher fees and limiting the reach of non-exclusive titles.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges Amazon penalizes authors who distribute audiobooks on other platforms. These penalties, as news.bloomberglow.com mentioned, allegedly include denying promotional opportunities and lowering search result rankings.
According to Reiss, Amazon’s ownership of Audible, the largest audiobook retailer globally, gives it an unfair advantage. She claims Amazon charges authors at least 60 percent of audiobook sales prices for distribution services, with even higher fees for non-exclusive titles.
The proposed class action seeks to represent authors who contracted with Amazon for audiobook distribution in the US after June 13, 2020, and paid fees of 60 percent or more. Reiss also aims to represent a subclass of authors who paid fees of 75 percent or more.
Reiss asserts that Amazon’s conduct violates antitrust laws and seeks class certification, damages, injunctive relief, and legal costs. Amazon is already facing other antitrust lawsuits, including one from the US Federal Trade Commission alleging monopolistic practices in online marketplaces.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
