Indie booksellers in anti-trust dream over Kindle

In a legal motion that brings to mind Sancho Panza and Don Quixote, three independent bookstores, including tiny Posman Books in Grand Central, have filed a class action suit charging Amazon.com and the Big Six publishers with monopolizing the ebook market. The complaint asks that Amazon and the Big Six be forced to remove the digital rights restrictions from their titles that prevent independent stores from selling ebooks to Kindle owners.The suit, filed on Friday in the Southern District of New York, alleges that contracts between Amazon and the publishers dating back to the launch of the Kindle e-reading device in 2007 have resulted in restraint of trade in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act."Competition, including price competition and choice at the consumer level for ebooks has been, and will continue to be, restrained, suppressed, or eliminated as a result," the complaint states. It also warns of "the weakening or elimination of independent sources" for ebooks and "a dangerous probability that Amazon will achieve a monopoly" in the ebook market.At the heart of the complaint is Amazon's practice of locking up its titles using digital rights management technology, or DRM, that allows ebooks sold on the site to be read only on Kindle devices or applications. The complaint asks for an injunction that would require Amazon and the Big Six—which also include Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Penguin Group—to use open-source DRM that would unlock the... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2013-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Indie booksellers in anti-trust dream over Kindle"

Judge approves class-action suit against Apple in ebooks case

A New York judge has given the go-ahead for a group to collectively sue Apple for damages over its collusion with publishers to fix the price of electronic books.Denise Cote, a judge at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, wrote in her approval of class status that... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

S&S signs two from Lynda La Plante

Simon & Schuster has signed two new books from Lynda La Plante covering the early life of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Amazon's customers get credits from ebook antitrust settlement

Customers of Amazon.com Inc. found credits in their inboxes Tuesday from the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit over ebook prices. Amazon, in a Customer FAQ posting on its website, said the credits are partial refunds and will be applied automatically to the accounts of those eligible: people... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Lansens signs two with S&S

The Girls author Lori Lansens has moved from Virago to Simon & Schuster for a new two-book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

How the Meat Industry Keeps Chicken Prices High

This essay is excerpted from The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business, by Christopher Leonard, published by Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Meat Industry 1, Obama Administration 0

This essay is excerpted from The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business, by Christopher Leonard, published by Simon & Schuster. Read another excerpt from The Meat Racket, about how Tyson keeps chicken prices high. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Authors on the Air March 4, 2014: Jaron Lanier

Jaron Lanier, author of "Who Own the Future" (Simon & Schuster, 9781451654974), will appear on the "Colbert Report" on Tuesday, March 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Job Moves: February 26, 2014

After 34 years at Simon & Schuster, sales rep Michael Carley will be retiring on April 22. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Authors on the Air February 18, 2014: Su Meck

Su Meck, author of "I Forgot to Remember: A Memoir of Amnesia" (Simon & Schuster, 9781451685817), will appear on the "Diane Rehm Show" on Wednesday, February 19. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

S&S buys Johnny Rotten memoir

Simon & Schuster has signed the world rights to a new autobiography by Sex Pistols singer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Apple monitor to stay in ebooks case, with boundaries

Apple will continue to be watched by an antitrust monitor during its appeal of a court order creating the position, a court ruled.While a setback for Apple, which had asked for a stay of the appointment of an external compliance monitor in an ebooks price-fixing conspiracy case, the ruling by... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Simon451 Unveils College Writing Contest

Simon & Schuster's new science fiction imprint, Simon451, has launched a writing contest for college students. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Simon & Schuster Expands Library E-Book Program

After entering the library ebook market last April with a pilot, Simon & Schuster is expanding its program to more libraries, and adding OverDrive as a vendor. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Good Enterprises Wants S&S to Keep Selling its Books

Christine Shubert, the trustee overseeing the Chapter 7 proceedings of Good Enterprises, has asked the bankruptcy court to give Good Books’ distributor, Simon & Schuster, the authority to continue to sell the company’s titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

S&S Keeping 'Duck Dynasty' Title on Shelves

Despite the controversy stirred up Wednesday afternoon by critical remarks of "homosexual behavior" by Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson in a GQ interview, Simon & Schuster has no plans to pull Phil Robertson's bestselling book, Happy, Happy, Happy. The title has sold nearly 600,000... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

S&S Teams With HuffPo, AARP on Memoir Contest

Simon & Schuster has teamed with AARP and The Huffington Post on a contest open to memoirists 50 and older. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Simon & Schuster Fires Up “Hot Bed” Tumblr for New Adult Fiction

Simon & Schuster has launched a new social media community, The Hot Bed, to promote the "New Adult" genre complete with a "chili chart" to gauge hotness. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this