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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Justice Department formally charges Apple, big five publishers in ebook price fixing case (update)'


Fourth Estate to publish next Tan novel

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 30/03/2011 - 14:55 Fourth Estate will publish the latest novel by The Joy Luck Club author Amy Tan after HarperCollins bought The Valley of Amazement. Publication date for the novel is expected to be autumn 2012. Daniel Halpern, president and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #canadian rights #fourth estate


Catherine Cookson estate goes direct in ebook deal

Written By: Bookseller staff Publication Date: Mon, 28/03/2011 - 08:53 Catherine Cookson's estate has signed a deal to release 100 of her novels as ebooks directly through Amazon, cutting out her publishers Transworld and Simon & Schuster. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook deal #ebooks directly #simon schuster


Borders collapse: readers turn to ebooks

Interest in ebooks has jumped since Borders and Angus & Robertson slipped into voluntary administration. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #borders collapse #readers turn


Profit up at Jonathan Goodman Publishing

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Mon, 28/03/2011 - 15:31 Profit before tax at Jonathan Goodman Publishing, the parent company of Carlton Books Ltd and Andre Deutsch Ltd, has increased by 72% to £1.6m. The figures, for the year to end December 2010, also show turnover is up 6% to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #carlton books #good year #andre deutsch


Media Decoder: Self-Publisher Signs Four-Book Deal With St. Martin's

Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old author who shot to fame by selling more than a million copies of her self-published books, has signed a deal with St. Martin's Press. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media decoder #amanda hocking #million copies #self-published books


Stacey International and Capuchin relaunch as Stacey Publishing

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 24/03/2011 - 15:31 Independent publisher Stacey International and its imprint Capuchin Classics have launched a new company, Stacey Publishing, with fresh financial backing. It will be headed by m.d. Patrick Kelly, previously part-time... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Free ‘key driver’ in ebook sales

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 24/03/2011 - 09:36 Sampling free content is inspiring customers to buy ebooks, with a fifth of UK readers citing it as the primary reason for purchase, according to new research. Surveys by Book Marketing Limited (BML) and Bowker Publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook sales #buy ebooks


Kindle ebook lending service reinstated after modification of code

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 23/03/2011 - 07:10 Lendle, the US-based tool that allows Kindle users to lend their ebooks, has been reinstated after Amazon said that its concern related to its "Book Sync tool". The news that Amazon had locked the services out of its API caused... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news sites #kindle users #twitter erupted #ebook lending #book sales


E-book sharing: Amazon and book publishers' stupid attempts to curtail lending sites.

As convenient as they are, I've long worried about the many ways in which ebook purveyors restrict readers' rights. You can't resell the books you purchase for the Amazon Kindle, and you can't read them on most other e-readers. We also don't really own ebooks in the same way we own... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon kindle #book publishers


Implementing a Mobile Strategy as an Independent Publisher

A b-to-b publisher shares lessons from its first app launch including mobilizing Web sites and implementing QR codes. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile strategy #independent publisher


Cader and Shatzkin ready Publishers Launch

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 22/03/2011 - 16:40 Two of US publishing's leading commentators are moving into the conference business with Publishers Launch Conferences, which will "convene up to eight events in four cities over the next year", including New York, San... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Media Decoder: Noted Self-Publisher May Be Close to a Book Deal

Amanda Hocking, the darling of the self-publishing world who has sold more than 900,000 copies of nine books in the last year, has been shopping a four-book series to major publishers. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media decoder #book deal #amanda hocking #four-book series #major publishers


Wilson to update Five Children and It for Puffin

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Mon, 21/03/2011 - 15:36 Jacqueline Wilson is to write an updated version of E Nesbit's classic children's novel Five Children and It in a new deal with Puffin. Elv Moody, editorial director for Classic Puffin, and Alexandra Antscherl, Puffin senior... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #classic children #updated version #bought uk #caroline walsh


Hachette Livre US ebook sales nearly 25% of total

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Mon, 21/03/2011 - 11:26 E-book sales by Hachette Livre in the United States are in line with the national average, according to the group's chairman and c.e.o. Arnaud Nourry. He told the Buzz Média service of the French daily Le Figaro that ebooks... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook sales #hachette livre #national average #arnaud nourry #book market


In Paperbacks, Big Names on Top: Facts & Figures 2011

It's the Stieg Larsson show in 2010 paperback bestsellers. The first two books of his enormously successful trilogy racked up sales of more than 10,942,000 in their mass market and paperback editions. That's more than the combined sales of two other stellar sellers—James Patterson and Nora... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mass market #combined sales #big names #paperback editions #nora roberts


Mitterrand slams EC raids on publishers as as 'out of proportion'

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Fri, 18/03/2011 - 11:32 French culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand has said that he would not intervene in the dispute between publishers and authors over electronic rights for the moment. Mitterrand also hit out a the recent European Commission... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #french publishers #electronic rights


No breakthrough over author ebook rights in France ahead of fair

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Thu, 17/03/2011 - 06:39 French authors have urged culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand to intecede in order to break the deadlock in their negotiations with publishers over electronic rights. For the second year running, the Permanent Council of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electronic rights #year running


Orange offers 23k ebooks for sale via Android app

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 17/03/2011 - 06:47 Orange has launched an ebook app for Android, with a "one-click buy" system which directly bills a user's Orange account. But the app will not be available on Apple's iPhone or iPad devices at the same time because of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #android app #ebook app #ipad devices


French authors happier with publishers

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Wed, 16/03/2011 - 13:30 French authors are increasingly satisfied with their publishers, according to the third annual survey conducted by the Civil Society for Multimedia Authors (Scam). The latest results show that 71% of respondents are... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers pay #civil society


Media Decoder: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publisher Steps Down

Barry O'Callaghan, the chief executive of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, resigned on Tuesday after less than two years on the job. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media decoder