DOJ defends Apple ebook price fixing injunction, says publishers had it easy

The US Department of Justice isn't buying publishers' arguments that proposed injunctions against Apple for alleged ebook price fixing are excessive and contradictory. DOJ attorney Lawrence Buterman claims in a response letter that the penalties against Apple are necessarily harsher, since it didn't settle the accusations like its reported co-conspirators. The group objection even justifies Apple's punishment, Buterman claims; it suggests that publishers are just waiting until the end of a two-year ban on agency pricing to raise prices once again. The five-year restriction imposed on Apple could keep prices down for longer, the lawyer says. Apple, meanwhile, isn't done with its objections. In addition to an earlier request for a stay on proceedings pending an appeal, it now contends that the court excluded or ignored testimony while giving Amazon and Google witnesses too much credibility. The company will present more of its opinion at a conference today with both the DOJ and the presiding judge, but we're not expecting a quick resolution -- neither side is budging at this stage. Filed under: Internet, Software, Apple Comments Via: CNET, GigaOM Source: Letters to the court (1), (2), (3), (4) Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2013-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #agency pricing #giving amazon

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What makes Apple such a success? -- Free ebook

Love it or hate it, you can't deny that Apple is a phenomenally successful company. But how has it managed to achieve this from a business that started in a garage? Mostly it hasn’t been by innovation but by taking technology that already existed and turning it into the devices that people want... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2014-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Liberio review: Turn your Google Docs into a published ebook

Now that eBooks have enabled anyone to be a published author, more would-be scribes are submitting their work directly through digital storefronts like Kindle Direct Publishing. Yet even with this radical change in the book industry, the e-publishing process is hardly simple. In fact the... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What you need to know about Amazon's fight with ebook publishers

Unless you've been living in a book-free cave, you may have heard that retail giant Amazon and book publisher Hachette are having a little tiff. It's all about digital versions of books -- so-called ebooks -- and it boils down to this: Amazon wants... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Orders Mediation in Latest E-book Price-Fixing Suit

The litigation represents the latest legal front for Apple and the publishers stemming from the 2010 agency switch. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon ebook pricing battle intensifies after 'Authors United' ad

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[ The Guardian | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon wants you to ask Hachette's CEO for lower ebook prices

Amazon's fight with Hachette over ebook pricing just got extra-personal. Hot on the heels of writers attacking Jeff Bezos' "retaliation," the Amazon Books Team has posted a Readers United site that calls on you to email Hachette CEO Michael Pietsch... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher defends Dahl book cover

Penguin has defended its decision to use an image of a doll-like young girl on the cover of a new edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Explains Why It Thinks $9.99 is the Right Price for Ebooks

On the Kindle forum, Amazon said it wants to price most eBooks at $9.99, claiming lower prices will sell more books and return more money to authors. Many disagree. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette ebook sales fall in wake of dispute with Amazon over pricing

Hachette finance chief plays down effect of Amazon tactics as parent Lagardère reports 1% overall dip in salesThe Hachette publishing group has reported a fall in ebook sales as it continues its battle with Amazon over pricing.The publisher of Ian Rankin and Booker prize nominee Joshua Ferris... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon to Hachette: Lower ebook prices and we won't ask for more of the revenues

Amazon recently extended a public challenge to Hachette, saying that if the publisher will lower ebook prices to $9.99, the company won't ask for a larger share of the revenues. This is the first time Amazon has publicly shared details of the dispute between the two companies. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple’s $450M ebooks settlement deal questioned by judge

The judge presiding over the antitrust case involving Apple Inc.’s $450 million offer to settle an ebook price-fixing lawsuit is said some provisions of the deal could reduce consumers' recovery, Reuters reported. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said Thursday during a teleconference that she is... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-publishing surging to 31% of ebook market, claims report

Hugh Howey says his study, based on calculation of Amazon sales, shows 'real progress' for authors who have chosen to go it aloneA new report claims that self-published authors have surged to 31% of ebook sales on Amazon.com, and are now earning more ebook royalties than writers published by the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple agrees to $450 million dollar settlement in ebook antitrust case

Apple has resisted settling with the government over charges that it conspired with publishers to fix ebook prices. While its alleged co-conspirators have already opted to pay up and move on, Cupertino has been steadfast in maintaining its... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple to pay $400m over ebooks

Apple agrees to pay as much as $400m to settle a lawsuit over accusations it colluded with publishers to fix ebooks prices. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2014-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Claim Apple Order Illegally Hobbles Return to Agency Model

In appeal filings last week, lawyers for Simon & Schuster and Macmillan contend that Judge Denise Cote's injunction against Apple has made a timely return to a “no-discount” agency model for ebooks all but impossible. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Government Axes Fixed Pricing in Québec

Only five months after the Québec Government announced it would go ahead with its innovative fixed pricing legislation on new titles, the project is now dead in the water. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple opts for an out of court settlement to avoid $800m eBook fine

Apple has avoided an $800 million bill from a clutch of US states and other complainants by reaching an out of court settlement in a controversial price-fixing case. The settlement, the terms of which are yet to be revealed, still has to be ratified by the court and both sides involved in the... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple settles ebook antitrust dispute with U.S. states, consumer group

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[ PC World | 2014-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Says Price-Fixing Suit Filed by Retailers Can Proceed

Australian upstart DNAML says it was was harmed by the 2010 price-fixing scheme executed by Apple and the five agency publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DoJ: Apple Verdict Should Be Affirmed

U.S attorneys argued that evidence of a price-fixing agreement was "overwhelming," and that Apple has identified "no sound reason" to reject Cote's finding. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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