Amazon.com and 'Big Five' publishers accused of ebook price-fixing

Class action lawsuit filed in US claims the houses have colluded with the online giant to keep prices artificially highAmazon.com and the “Big Five” publishers – Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster – have been accused of colluding to fix ebook prices, in a class action filed by the law firm that successfully sued Apple and the Big Five on the same charge 10 years ago.The lawsuit, filed in district court in New York on Thursday by Seattle firm Hagens Berman, on behalf of consumers in several US states, names the retail giant as the sole defendant but labels the publishers “co-conspirators”. It alleges Amazon and the publishers use a clause known as “Most Favored Nations” (MFN) to keep ebook prices artificially high, by agreeing to price restraints that force consumers to pay more for ebooks purchased on retail platforms that are not Amazon.com. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-01-15 13:04:33 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Amazon.com and 'Big Five' publishers accused of ebook price-fixing"


Stirring Things Up

HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster had a busy few days last week: the two companies announced their quarterly earnings, received words of encouragement from their corporate owners, and made changes in their Canadian operations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Court ruling secures future for Germany's Suhrkamp

A ruling by the District Court in Berlin has put an end to one of the most acrimonious power struggles in the history of German publishing and secured the future of one of the country’s best-known literary publishers - Suhrkamp.  The company can finally now go ahead with much needed reforms,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S strikes 'version of agency' deal with Amazon

Simon & Schuster in the US and Amazon have signed a new multiyear deal which is a "return to a version of agency" and is also “economically advantageous for both Simon & Schuster and its authors”. An email from Carolyn Reidy (pictured), president and c.e.o. at Simon & Schuster, said... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Trade tributes to Lynda Bellingham

Lynda Bellingham’s fiction publisher Simon & Schuster has paid tribute to her as a “vibrant” woman who leaves “a truly wonderful literary legacy”. The British actress died yesterday (19th October) aged 66, after a battle with colon cancer. She wrote the novel Tell Me Tomorrow for Simon... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon and Simon & Schuster reach a deal on internet book sales

Amazon just found a way to put further pressure on Hachette in its ongoing pricing war: strike a deal with another publisher. The online retailer has forged a new agreement with Simon & Schuster that will keep the book giant's digital and physical... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S, Amazon Agree on 'Version' of Agency Pricing

The new sales agreement supposedly reached on Monday by Amazon and Simon & Schuster, has been confirmed by both parties. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S to Go Agency With Amazon

As Hachette continues its stalemate with Amazon over ebook sales terms, Simon & Schuster has reached a new agreement with the e-tailer. Among other things, the new deal will allow S&S to set the prices on its ebooks, marking a return to the agency model. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


HC signs celebrity biographies from Smith

HarperCollins has acquired two celebrity biographies by Sean Smith, in a deal with Gordon Wise of Curtis Brown. Smith has previously written unauthorised biographies of celebrities such as Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Robbie Williams, both published by Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Licensing Hotline: October 16

Simon & Schuster has secured the rights to produce Ready to Read books in North America based on the preschool series 'Doozers,' licensed by the Jim Henson Company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Saga Press E-books To Be DRM-Free

Simon & Schuster's fledgling science fiction and fantasy imprint, Saga Press, will publish its ebooks without DRM, the company said Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S Launches Books Category on Milq

Simon & Schuster is teaming with Milq, a new social media platform, to launch a Books category on the content curation venture. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Authors ask the government to investigate Amazon

The Authors Guild met with Justice Department officials to ask the agency to launch an investigation into Amazon, expressing concern that the retail giant might be violating antitrust law in its fight with Hachette over ebook terms. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Howard Books Signs 'Shack' Author to New Deal

Howard Books, the Christian imprint of Simon & Schuster, will publish two new books by William Paul Young, author of the bestseller 'The Shack.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S Inks Deal to Make Digital Backlist Available in Scandinavia

Simon & Schuster has partnered with Scandinavian ebook subscription service Mofibo to make its backlist titles available to readers in Denmark and Sweden. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bruce Springsteen picture book for S&S

Simon & Schuster is to publish an adult picture book by Bruce Springsteen, based on his song... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Layoffs at Atria Books

Simon & Schuster's Atria Books imprint went through a round of layoffs on Monday. Although the company did not respond to inquiries about the downsizing, PW has learned that at least two editors were let go. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Simon & Schuster Second Quarter Sales Rise 12%

S&S reported a 12% rise in revenue in the second quarter of 2014, credited the growth to such print bestsellers as Hillary Clinton's 'Hard Choices' and Stephen King's 'Mr. Mercedes.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S Launches Video Series

'Behind the Book from Simon & Schuster,' a new series of videos featuring S&S editors and publishers, is now live. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


S&S Children's speeds into loom band craze

Simon & Schuster says it has become the first publisher in the UK to acquire books about the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon Is Experimenting With A New Homepage Design

The newer, flatter design puts Kindle, Fire, and Prime categories front and center.Amazon has unveiled a new homepage design to select users, placing a new emphasis on the retail giant's biggest brands: the Kindle ebook platform, its Fire lineup of tablets and smartphones, and the Prime... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this