Line, the popular messaging platform based in Japan, is challenging ebook vendors like Amazon and Rakuten with a new service to download and view manga, or Japanese comic books. The company has launched "Line Manga," a mobile app for Android and iOS phones. Line's initial offering consists of 30,000 manga titles, making it one of the largest online comic stores in Japan. Manga are extremely popular in Japan with men and women across a wide range of ages and consumer groups. They are seen as a key part of the fledgling ebook market in Japan—Amazon's long-awaited launch in the country included 15,000 manga, just under a third of its total library. Rivals include Rakuten and Sony, services run by Japan's mobile operators, and a host of third-party apps. Line can leverage its vast and growing user base in Japan, where it has become the default chat app for many users. The company has built a growing suite of services around chat, including online games and a camera app. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading at 'PC World'
[ PC World | 2013-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Morning Business Memo: Amazon is the big winner in the government’s decision to go after Apple and major publishers over alleged ebook price fixing. Amazon might decide to slash the price of many bestsellers from $14.99 to $9.99. The Justice Department and 15 states sued... Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple and publishers Penguin and Macmillan have decided to fight US government charges that they conspired to fix the prices of ebooks, even as three other publishers agreed to a settlement aimed at lowering prices for consumers. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple's Steve Jobs played a key role in a price-fixing plan with five ebook publishers, federal and state officials say in antitrust lawsuits.WASHINGTON — Former Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs was a key player in a conspiracy with five major book publishers to drive up the price of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Attorneys General in 16 states filed suit against Apple and three publishing companies Wednesday, following a similar suit filed this morning by the US Justice Department. Unlike the federal suit, the states action also looks for monetary compensation in addition to the end of the collusive... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department and attorney generals from 16 states sued Apple Inc. and five major book publishers, alleging they colluded to raise the price of electronic books. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillian, Penguin and Simon & Schuster thought they only had to contend with a federal ebook lawsuit in the US, they'd better think again. Australia's Competition and Consumer commission is inviting local businesses to raise formal concerns as it weighs... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The U.S. filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc., Hachette SA, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster in New York district court, claiming collusion over eBook pricing. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In December 2010 I asked: "Is someone fixing ebook prices?" Google's digital bookstore opened for business, and I started comparing prices only to find them fairly consistent across all retailers. I expected to see huge variances, not pricing consistency, which shouldn't be in a competitive... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WASHINGTON -- Antitrust officials are expected to announce Wednesday that they are filing suit against Apple Inc. and five major book publishers for allegedly colluding to fix the price of ebooks. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WASHINGTON -- Former Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs and top executives at five major book publishers illegally conspired to raise the prices of ebooks, costing consumers tens of millions of dollars, federal and state officials alleged in antitrust suits filed Wednesday. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department has formally decided to sue Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillian, Penguin and Simon & Schuster over alleged ebook price-rigging. Apple and Macmillian have already denied any wrongdoing, saying that the agreements were enhancing competition in an industry... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Retail Consortium's (BRC) sales monitor for March has revealed "some... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department on Wednesday sued Apple Inc. and five major book publishers for allegedly colluding to fix ebook prices. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) is to have meetings with individual publishers over e-... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Days after it told one publisher it had indefinitely suspended the programme to approve its Kindle newspaper edition submission, Amazon has suddenly relented. Last week, Scotland’s Herald & Times Group grumbled publicly that, after tw ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yahoo files papers outlining ways of scattering adverts through digital books based on what is being read. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen have a new project up their sleeves under their parent company, AVOS. Within the last 24 hours, the duo launched a landing page for their latest project, Zeen. AVOS is responsible for acquiring Delicious ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google will end its Google eBooks reseller program which allowed independent bookstores to sell ebooks through Google's platform. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Are you ready for a bombshell? Turns out people who read ebooks read more books than those don't. That tidbit comes from the number crunchers at Pew. According to a new report titled "The Rise of E-Reading," the ebook readers read an average of 24 books in the past year, versus the 15 books read... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As digital book sales continue to gain traction, the comparison between bookstores and record stores has gotten closer. Coupled with the comparisons comes an implicit warning that bookstores could share the fate of Tower, Virgin, and HMV—record stores that are all gone. While the number of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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