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 ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams The Office of Fair Trading has announced an enquiry into the ebook agency model, following what it described as a "significant number of complaints". The OFT said the investigation is "into whether arrangements that certain publishers have put in place with some... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony said Apple had rejected its ebook app because it did not route book sales through Apples system. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple has reportedly rejected Sony's reader app from the App store for selling content within the app and letting customers make purchases outside the App store (such as within the Sony Reader Store, according to The New York Times. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple has moved to block third party app developers from selling content, such as ebooks, outside of the app store, leading to speculation that it wants a cut of digital purchases, even when they are made via apps such as the Kindle app. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan and John Bishop are among the latest big-name celebrities to have been snapped up for autobiographies, as comedians look set to dominate the hardback celebrity memoir market again this autumn. Gavin and Stacey star Rob Brydons memoir is... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Waterstone's is cutting orders it makes on new titles from March to reduce its number of returns. The book retailer contacted suppliers this week asking them to reduce initial orders by about 20%. Publishers were asked to cancel existing pre-orders so that new orders... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Tim Conneally, Betanews Wednesday, Web retailer Amazon launched its Kindle Singles line of literature designed specifically for consumption on e-readers. The works, priced between $1.00 and $3.00, include original works of prose, essays and theses, and the the first TEDBooks.Last October,... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Jones The system of lending one ebook per library user works for authors, agents, booksellers and librarians, a session at Digital Book World discussing the sector heard yesterday. At the session, entitled 'Where Do Libraries Fit Into the Ecosystem?', publishers were... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In two acquisitions this month, Fry Communications, a leading publication printer, has added to the array of services it offers customers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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That might be the best news yet, as long as publishers remember why they went into bankruptcy in the first place. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten years ago, as the prospect of monetizing Web sites started becoming a reality for publishers, different departments butted heads over prime real estate: editorial wanted it for content; sales wanted it for advertising; marketing wanted it for promotion. Today, as the emphasis shifts away... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are launching iPhone and iPad apps on a daily basis (unless you're Bonnier, then it seems almost hourly). Many are coming from the usual suspects with deep pockets--Hearst, Conde Nast, Time Inc. etc. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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