Justice Department formally charges Apple, big five publishers in ebook price fixing case (update)

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 previously dominated by Amazon. The case centers around a deal to switch to agency pricing, where the vendor takes a 30 percent cut of each sale rather than the wholesale model which allows stores to sell books at rock-bottom prices. It was previously believed that the publishers had cut back-room deals with the Government agency after bowing to pressure to withdraw Cupertino's "favored nation" status. If successful, the DoJ will allow Amazon and Barnes and Noble amongst others to return to the wholesale model to sell best-sellers at a loss, something that the big five are desperate to avoid, and will look to fight the battle in court. Update: The PDF of the DoJ's filing is now available online -- it makes for fascinating reading. Update 2: Bloomberg is now reporting that Simon & Schuster, Lagardère SCA's Hachette Book Group and HarperCollins have settled with the DoJ over unspecified terms. Hasty!Justice Department formally charges Apple, big five publishers in ebook price fixing case (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Bloomberg, Department of Justice filing (PDF)  | Email this | Comments Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #sell books #previously believed #favored nation #fascinating reading

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Young Hollywood Is Already Laying Big Plans for 2014 FIFA World Cup

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[ AdWeek | 2013-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Next episode in ebook drama

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[ Crains New York | 2013-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Stupidest Thing Apple Ever Did

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[ Slate | 2013-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gabo Graphic Novel Bio Boosts Colombia’s Publishing Profile

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Try a Different Kind of Pay Wall, Unlocked by Watching Web Video

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony's four pillar approach to game publishing on PlayStation 4 aims to level the playing field

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[ Engadget | 2013-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Finds Apple Guilty of E-Book Conspiracy

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[ ABC News | 2013-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese E-publishing Platform Shanda Cloudary Takes in $110m Investment

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[ AllThingsD | 2013-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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