E-book firms need to make changes to settle probe

(Bloomberg) - News Corp.'s HarperCollins and four other publishers probed by European Union need to address regulatory concerns before they can settle the antitrust case, the European Union's competition commissioner said. Joaquin Almunia, the antitrust chief, told reporters Monday that a settlement was only possible if the publishers were “ready to remove” the cause of European Union objections regarding sales restrictions. No talks on a settlement are currently taking place, he said. The European Commission last year opened an investigation into Apple Inc.'s deals with ebook publishers HarperCollins, Lagardere SCA's Hachette Livre, CBS Corp.'s Simon & Schuster Inc., Pearson Plc's Penguin and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH's Macmillan division that may restrict sales. The U.S. Justice Department is discussing a possible settlement with some companies involved in its probe of Apple and publishers over ebooks prices, according to a person familiar with the matter last week. The investigation is important to regulators “because the ebooks market is growing very fast and we have an interest to avoid collusive practices,” Mr. Almunia said. Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2012-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]

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E-book firms need to make changes to settle probe

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