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
An ebook being offered on the Kindle store for 20p has broken the top-three monopoly of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#kindle store
Online retailer Amazon announces it sells more ebooks than hardbacks and paperbacks combined. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ebooks sold
#print books
After a round of key filings, two Authors Guild cases challenging Google’s ambitious library book-scanning program are on schedule for early fall trial dates. Final reply briefs were filed July 27 for the Authors Guild v. HathiTrust, with that case now fully briefed and all but set for a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#google case
#final round
#authors guild
#summary judgment
A ebook literary festival expecting up to 20,000 visitors ends early after only 100 show up. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
A new study by the Book Industry Study Group says readers are choosing both print and ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#consumers switch
Social media is young and its impact on news publishing is still unfolding. It’s unlikely that sharing and commenting will be the only major trends to emerge from the social revolution. News publishers, already beset by extraordinary change ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#news publishing
#major trends
#news publishers
Kobo is due to launch a country-wide roadshow to showcase its ebook offering to independent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Arrow has acquired six novellas that follow on from Francine Pascal's adult novel, Sweet... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Polarised views on low ebook prices have been raised this week, as Sony and Amazon continue to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
After packaging for a number of American publishers, among them Focal Press, St. Martin’s, Abrams, and Chronicle, U.K.-based Ilex Press is entering the U.S. with its own line of books that is being distributed by Ingram Publisher Services. Founded in 2000 by U.K. publishing veteran Alastair... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#publishing market
#american publishers
Authors Stephen King and Stewart O’Nan are embarking on a new short fiction project to be... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ebook short
Unit sales of the iPad rose 84% year-on-year in the third quarter ending 30th June 2012, to a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Websites and apps by non-traditional publishers are most useful for travellers, according to an... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#travel publishing
Four local online newsrooms have united to broaden New Orleans’ news options. The mission of the newly formed New Orleans Digital News Alliance is to connect independent digital news organizations for the benefit of our readers and to stren ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#online publishers
Little, Brown c.e.o. Ursula McKenzie was among those speaking out against low-priced ebooks at... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#20p ebooks
Random House has announced plans for the creation of a digital one-stop shop to aid the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#random house
#announced plans
Headline has acquired a new humour title, Texts from Dog, billed as "the first ever Tumblr... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#humour title
Representatives from across the industry met yesterday (19th July) to discuss reading for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Sen. Charles Schumer wrote in an op-ed that the Department of Justice's lawsuit could 'wipe out the publishing industry as we know it.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ebook lawsuit
#publishing industry
The parent company of Penguin Books, Pearson, has bought one of the biggest self-publishing companies, Author Solutions Inc (ASI). Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#penguin buys
#penguin books
#author solutions