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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Atwood takes stage at TOC and tells publishers to keep feeding their authors

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 16/02/2011 - 07:06 Author Margaret Atwood used her Tools of Change keynote speech to warn the industry not to eliminate authors, and make sure they are paid enough to "pay for the cheese sandwiches". read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fifty UK libraries sign up to Overdrive ebook app

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Unveils Digital Subscription Service

Apple has officially rolled out its long awaited subscription-model for content publishers in the App Store. Under the plan, if subscribers come to a publisher's app organically through the App store, Apple gets a 30 percent share. If the publisher brings a new or existing subscriber to the App,... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kindle App Update Adds Real Page Numbers

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[ PC World | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher demands delaying Borders liquidation

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK bestsellers help Hachette prove resilient as ebooks rise in the US

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Maritime Museum looks to move into publishing

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Will Apple Close the e-Book on Kindle?

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[ PC World | 2011-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Betanews | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple sets 31st March deadline for app changes

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury to publish ElBaradei memoir

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Open Road to Publish Virginia Hamilton E-books

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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