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 ]
News tagged with: #publishers accused #ebook price-fixing #online giant #simon schuster #law firm #district court #retail giant #retail platforms #ebooks #macmillan

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The Big Uneasy: ALA Preview 2011

Managing budget pressure is a way of life for library administrators. But as librarians gather in New Orleans for the 2011 ALA Annual Conference, a snapshot of public library budgets across the nation shows the lingering "Great Recession" is still devastating library services—even as demand for... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury ebook growth "significant"

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 27/05/2011 - 08:45 Bloomsbury's ebook sales topped £1.1m in the first three months of 2011, as the company reported its unaudited preliminary results for the fourteen months ended 28th February 2011. Revenue across the group was £103.4m for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #company reported #28th february


Children's publishers welcome Waterstone's sale

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 27/05/2011 - 12:26 Children's publishers have welcomed the acquisition of Waterstone's by Russian businessman Alexander Mamut. Francesca Dow, m.d. of Penguin Children's Books, said: "The Waterstone's takeover is good news for children's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2011 U.S. Newspaper Publishing Industry - Jobs & Wages Report

Research and Markets report features 2011 current and 2012 forecast estimates on the median wages and salaries nationally and for all 50 U.S. States. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2011-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chiki Sarkar appointed Penguin India publisher

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 27/05/2011 - 10:18 Chiki Sarkar, former editor-in-chief of Random House India, has been appointed publisher of Penguin India. Chiki had worked at Random House India since 2006, working with authors including Anita Desai, Salman Rushdie and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #appointed publisher #penguin india #salman rushdie #jhumpa lahiri


"Democratic" publishing venture launched at Hay

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Sun, 29/05/2011 - 12:00 A publishing platform which allows readers to choose what should be published has been launched, supported by Faber and created by "QI" writers John Mitchinson and Justin Pollard, and Crap Towns author Dan Kieran.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing platform #justin pollard


Amazon reveals frontlist deal for Eisler at BEA

Written By: Gayle Feldman Publication Date: Thu, 26/05/2011 - 08:52 Thriller writer Barry Eisler, who turned his back on a two-book deal for half a million dollars from St Martin’s Press, has decided to accept six figures from Amazon and become one of its first frontlist authors. The Eisler... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #million dollars #buy bn


Barnes & Noble Announces New Nook; Amazon Responds with Cheaper 3G

Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch announced the new Nook, aimed at "those turned off by buttons." Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Book Prices Fuel Outrage--and Innovation

A pricing war among the big guns of the book industry is causing pain at the checkout screen, but sprouting new opportunities for writers and readers. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon to open new service centre for Kindle support

Publication Date: Wed, 25/05/2011 - 14:24 Amazon is to open a new customer service centre in Edinburgh this August, with one of its roles to handle technical support for the Kindle. The move will create more than 900 permanent and temporary jobs over the next five years. The centre will be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B-to-B Publishers Say E-Media, Sales Expenses To Increase the Most in 2011

Spending on e-media infrastructure increased for both large and small b-to-b publishers in 2010 and will again in 2011, according to respondents to the 2011 FOLIO B-to-B CEO Survey. Larger publishers expect operating expenses to jump 6 percent in e-media, while smaller publishers expect a 5... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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California State University opts for $49 ebook over expensive biology textbook

By Tim Conneally, Betanews Nature Publishing Group and California State University (CSU) on Tuesday announced a three-year partnership that will eliminate paper textbooks from certain classes, and replace them with interactive ebooks instead. Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kirshbaum move could reduce competition—BEA

Written By: Gayle Feldman Publication Date: Tue, 24/05/2011 - 09:41 Responses to Amazon.com's hire of Laurence Kirshbaum as publisher have varied from worried to fear of a "dampening" effect on competition among delegates at the BEA conference. Word that started to spread Sunday night was... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #laurence kirshbaum #publishing operation


HC to publish final Michael Crichton title this November

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 24/05/2011 - 09:00 HarperCollins will publish this November the novel Michael Crichton was working on when he died in 2008. Described as a "high-concept thriller in the vein of Jurassic Park", Micro is co-written by Richard Preston. It follows a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #high-concept thriller #jurassic park #richard preston


Pan Mac acquires self-publishing star Hocking

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 24/05/2011 - 09:38 Pan Macmillan has bought UK and Commonwealth rights (including ebooks) to seven books by self-published US sensation Amanda Hocking. Julie Crisp, editorial director at Tor, bought the rights from St Martin's Press in the United... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bought uk #million books #julie crisp #st martin #intense auction


Publishers Fight to Control Consumer Data They Barely Use

The sticking point in publishers’ negotiations with Apple to sell magazines on the iPad was over who would control the customer data. Publishers said they needed it to renew and cross-sell buyers of their digital content. Apple didn’t want to give it up. But the big irony in all this back and... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #consumer data #eddy cue #publishing executive #mens health


Publishers "celebrating" after Waterstone's takeover

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Mon, 23/05/2011 - 09:40 The takeover of Waterstone's by Alexander Mamut is cause for celebration among the publishing industry, Faber c.e.o. Stephen Page has said. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #alexander mamut #publishing industry #stephen page


E-Book Sales Pass Print on Amazon

While the Rapture isn’t scheduled to occur until Saturday, according to members of certain religious fringe groups, it looks like doomsday has come early for publishers of print books. Amazon announced Thursday that sales of ebooks on the site have finally surpassed combined sales of hardcovers... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kindle E-books Top Print Books Sales on Amazon

It happened. Amazon says ebook sales have surpassed physical book sales on Amazon.com. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook sales