Amazon's woes across the pond may be coming to an end with the acceptance of its move by the EU. In a hotly contested and lengthy battle, Amazon has agreed to remove "most favored nation" clauses, and the EU has made that legally binding. MFNs have practically guaranteed that Amazon would always have the lowest prices on ebooks, and that hasn't sat well with either retailers … [Read more...] about Amazon Abandons MFNs in eBook Contracts
antitrust
Amazon Attempts to Settle EU Antitrust Investigation
When words like Amazon and antitrust get bandied about in the same sentence, people start to wonder about the shady dealings the world's largest book retailer may be engaged in. At least that's the case where the European Union is concerned, and a year-long investigation into Amazon's ebook distribution contracts with publishers. Last year, a watchdog branch of the EU … [Read more...] about Amazon Attempts to Settle EU Antitrust Investigation
Apple Request to Delay Damages Trial Rejected by Appeals Court
In the ongoing legal battles involving Apple over antitrust violations in an ebook price fixing case, it seems the technology giant just can't catch a break. Between rulings against the company for its involvement with colluding with most of the Big Five publishers, to having an outsider officer appointed to oversee its operations, it feels like every time Apple sees a … [Read more...] about Apple Request to Delay Damages Trial Rejected by Appeals Court
Coker: Publishers Are Disposable to Amazon
Smashwords' CEO and founder Mark Coker has written an in-depth look at the battle raging between Amazon and one of the Big Five publishers, Hachette Book Group. The battle over contract terms has seen Amazon raise the price of Hachette titles while directly offering consumers a cheaper alternative title, the out-of-stock notices that inform readers they'll have to wait an … [Read more...] about Coker: Publishers Are Disposable to Amazon
Small Legal Victory for Apple’s Antitrust Battle
Apple's attorneys have managed to pull off a minor legal victory in what has become almost laughably a war against Apple. On the grounds that Judge Denise Cote's decision to move forward with the classification and damages phases of the trial on going case, Apple managed to win a stay by the three-judge panel of the Second Circuit court, at least for now. Essentially, the … [Read more...] about Small Legal Victory for Apple’s Antitrust Battle
Apple Requests Stay in Proceedings
After a lengthy court battle over ebook price fixing and collusion with several of the Big Five publishers, Apple's legal drama is far from over. Apple has now requested a stay of all proceedings while waiting for the appeals on two rulings handed down last month by Judge Denise Cote. The trial and subsequent proceedings have not gone well for the tech giant, with Apple's … [Read more...] about Apple Requests Stay in Proceedings
Court Appointed Babysitter for Apple in DOJ Case
As part of the terms in the ongoing proceedings against Apple in an ebook price fixing anti-trust lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice, Judge Denise Cote ordered an external monitor to ensure that Apple did not enter into any further collusion that would fall under the scope of the investigation. The appointment of Michael Bromwich as the person charged with overseeing … [Read more...] about Court Appointed Babysitter for Apple in DOJ Case
Data Reveals How Much Consumers Overspent Thanks to eBook Price Fixing
In all of the coverage of did-they-or-didn't-they aspect to the Apple ebook price fixing lawsuit, very little news came out about how the alleged secret meetings and publisher plots to take down Amazon actually affected the consumers. This week Publisher's Weekly's Andrew Albanese posted an article that details the actual breakdown by state of how many consumers were … [Read more...] about Data Reveals How Much Consumers Overspent Thanks to eBook Price Fixing
News from the Big Six, Apple Antitrust Settlements
Today, the final piece of the Big Six puzzle fell into place. Months after the initial co-defendants in an antitrust lawsuit settled out of court, the remaining publisher, Penguin, settled with the attorneys general from 33 states for $75 million. This settlement comes less than a year after Penguin settled a similar claim with the Department of Justice. “This proposed … [Read more...] about News from the Big Six, Apple Antitrust Settlements
Penguin, Macmillan Speak Out on Their Actions in DoJ Investigation
There has been an almost conspicuous lack of comments from the parties involved in the DoJ and class action lawsuits still pending against Apple and some of the Big Six publishers. Obviously, the parties involved cannot simply make outlandish statements while the investigations and court proceedings are still pending, leaving many to wonder what actually took place. Now, … [Read more...] about Penguin, Macmillan Speak Out on Their Actions in DoJ Investigation
Three of the Big Six Terminate Their Agreement with Apple
The antitrust proceedings against Apple and five of the Big Six publishers are in various stages of resolution. Three of the publishers — Simon&Schuster, Hachette, and HarperCollins —have agreed to settle with the Department of Justice and the various lawsuits brought about by different state courts in the US, while Apple, Penguin, and Macmillan are still going through with … [Read more...] about Three of the Big Six Terminate Their Agreement with Apple