Amazon is no stranger to issues surrounding ebook prices. Stateside, Amazon was a quiet player in the Apple-Big Five lawsuit brought about by the Department of Justice, but in Europe, Amazon is the central figure in the proceedings. At its heart, the issue stems from alleged price fixing that forces the publishers' hands in an already hotly contested topic. But there may be … [Read more...] about Amazon May Be Close to a Deal in EU Case
price fixing
Amazon Backs Down to Avoid EU Punishment
It's a strange day for book retailing and publishing, as readers and authors alike react to the news that Amazon, apparently, can be frightened into compliance. In a story that carries just as many questions as answers, book retail giant and worldwide phenomenon Amazon has agreed to back off on its iron-fisted terms of service, at least in European markets, under threats from … [Read more...] about Amazon Backs Down to Avoid EU Punishment
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
More Speculation on the Final Bill for Apple’s Price Fixing Problems
News was announced yesterday from the lawyers for the plaintiffs in one of Apple's side lawsuits over ebook pricing that the grand total the company could have to pay out to consumers is $400 million. This amount was disclosed after the terms of the settlement were released following Judge Denise Cote's approval of the settlement. This settlement isn't to be confused with … [Read more...] about More Speculation on the Final Bill for Apple’s Price Fixing Problems
Forbes: Amazon Dispute Not About Money
Despite the hordes of critics who have verbally assaulted Amazon for its greed in the Hachette dispute, an article for Forbes today demonstrated the outcome of the current contract negotiation holds a certain percentage of Amazon's revenue in the balance. How much is that revenue? Around eleven million dollars. As in, 0.014% of its total $78billion business. Apple was … [Read more...] about Forbes: Amazon Dispute Not About Money
Big Five Back in Court over eBook Pricing
When the dust finally settled from the Department of Justice lawsuit against Apple and five of the then-Big Six publishers for illegally colluding to inflate the price of ebooks, essentially bilking consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to grab some more market share away from Amazon, the terms of the judge's ruling included a caveat. That statement was … [Read more...] about Big Five Back in Court over eBook Pricing
Apple Settles Out of Court in $840M Lawsuit
In the ongoing and tension-filled proceedings against Apple for its role in an anti-trust investigation and resulting lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice and multiple states' attorney general, the company has fought back at nearly every turn. Some have questioned whether this was more a matter of principle than anything else, as the attorneys' fees alone have to have … [Read more...] about Apple Settles Out of Court in $840M Lawsuit
Amazon, Hachette Battle Continues as Pre-Order Buttons Are Removed
First publishers hate Amazon, then they want legal action to require them to sell books? That's the sentiment from bestselling author James Patterson, who's bemoaning his lost income now that Amazon has taken down the pre-order buttons on a number of Hachette Book Group's upcoming titles, as well as imposed lengthy shipping delays on titles from the publisher until they come to … [Read more...] about Amazon, Hachette Battle Continues as Pre-Order Buttons Are Removed
Consumer Protection Attorneys File Anti-Trust Suit Against Google
News came out this week that Hagens Berman, the same Seattle-based law firm that initiated the class action lawsuits against Apple for its role in the anti-trust violations and price fixing collusion with the now-Big Five publishers, has filed a suit against Google, alleging anti-trust violations that led the search engine and tech powerhouse to hold an illegal monopoly in … [Read more...] about Consumer Protection Attorneys File Anti-Trust Suit Against Google
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
New Plaintiffs Come on Board Against Apple for eBook Price Fixing
Apple is still waiting for the final decision from Judge Denise Cote in the ebook price fixing scandal, entered into with five of the then-Big Six publishers in order to drive out some of Amazon's market share. While the publishers settled out of court, Apple wasn't so lucky. The final damages in the suit--which certain provisions under the law could cause to come in at almost … [Read more...] about New Plaintiffs Come on Board Against Apple for eBook Price Fixing
The Big Five Settled Out of Court and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
The wheels of justice do, indeed, turn slowly. Turtles stampeding through peanut butter kind of slowly. Because the end result of an investigation by the Department of Justice that first began back in 2010 has finally resulted in emails going out to customers informing them of the credits on their Amazon accounts. While I'm not sure that consumers are supposed to disclose the … [Read more...] about The Big Five Settled Out of Court and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
Canada Institutes Its Own eBook Terms with Publishers
Following the court drama of the Department of Justice investigation of five of the Big Six publishers, attorneys then lined up to file their own class action lawsuits on behalf of consumers who overpaid by millions of dollars for ebooks as a result of a conspiracy to arrange the prices on titles. While the battle is still not fully finalized in the US in terms of how much … [Read more...] about Canada Institutes Its Own eBook Terms with Publishers
New $840M Claim Against Apple for eBook Price Fixing
A US judge is still in the process of handling the DOJ lawsuit against Apple--along with five of the then-Big Six publishers--for conspiring to raise the price of ebooks in order to impact the market share that Amazon held over the industry. The outcome, which included settlements from most of the publishers seeking to avoid lengthy and costly court battles as well as a guilty … [Read more...] about New $840M Claim Against Apple for eBook Price Fixing