A bit buried in last week’s iPad 3 excitement was the news that Apple, along with five major American book publishers, was given notice by the Justice Department that it’s about to be sued for colluding to raise prices. A tech giant can afford to shrug off something as petty as an anti-trust lawsuit over books, but for HarperCollins, Penguin, MacMillan, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster (full disclosure: my publisher) the implications are potentially quite dire. Scott Turow, president of the Authors Guild, went further and argued that “everyone who cherishes a rich literary culture” should be alarmed by the DOJ’s actions. He’s wrong. If there’s a case against the government’s actions it’s that the forces of disruption buffeting traditional publishing are much too large to be blocked by any cartel. The good news is that literary culture should survive either way. Continue reading at 'Slate'
[ Slate | 2012-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
The Association of American Publishers and the Authors Guild, are fighting Amazon's bid to own new global domain names including .book, .author, and .read. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department had sued Macmillan and other large book publishers, accusing them of conspiring to raise ebook prices. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department said today it had reached a settlement with Penguin Group (USA), one of six companies it had accused of conspiring to raise prices of ebooks. The agreement, if approved by the court, would leave only two companies -- Apple and Macmillan -- facing the lawsuit, due to go to... Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble has suffered a serious security breach in 63 of its shops. Payment readers were fitted with a bug, which has harvested details of customers' credit cards. The firm discovered the breach over six weeks ago, but has kept the matter quiet at the behest of the Justice Department,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2012-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digitization proponents and library advocates hailed the October 10 decision in the Authors Guild v. HathiTrust case as an unequivocal, emphatic victory for fair use. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wow. Judge Denise Cote certainly knows how to put a spring in the step of mega corporations. Mere days have passed since she ordered HarperCollins to let retailers to set their own ebook prices, and yet already Kindle bestsellers from that publisher are selling for around $9.99 -- in some cases... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's a big day in the world of ebooks, and not just for the crew at Amazon. Today, Judge Denise Cote approved settlement terms for three of the publishers accused by the Justice Department of price fixing. Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins each agreed to settle with the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild is seeking more than $2 billion in damages from Google Books – which may make this one of the most expensive copyright damages cases in litigation history. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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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 ]
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A prominent Senate Democrat sided with Apple this week, and called on the Justice Department to drop its ebook lawsuit against the Cupertino, Calif. company. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote in an opinion piece that appeared in the Wednesday edition of the Wall Street Journal that a victory... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2012-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department meant business when it accused Apple and five other publishers of price-rigging ebooks, and are officially taking Cupertino and two publishers to court. In a hearing on Friday, Judge Denise Cote set a bench trial for June 3, 2012, putting Apple, Macmillan and Penguin Group... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild is encouraging its 8,500 members to submit comments against the proposed settlement between the Department of Justice and three large publishers. The settlement, the guild argues, will only benefit Amazon. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The change has come more slowly to books than it came to music or to business correspondence, but by now it feels inevitable. The digital era is upon us. The Twilights and Freedoms of 2025 will be consumed primarily as ebooks. In many ways, this is good news. Books will become cheaper and more... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2012-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild says Google doesn't have permission to reproduce portions of books for their digital library. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department's antitrust suit over eBook price fixing has is as deeply befuddling as it is important to the future of publishing. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2012-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc wants to go to trial to defend itself against U.S. government allegations that it conspired with publishers to raise prices of electronic books, a lawyer for the Silicon Valley giant said in court on Wednesday. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2012-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Inc. says the accusation that it conspired with major book publishers to raise the price of ebooks is untrue.Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr says that, contrary to allegations in lawsuits by the Justice Department and 15 states, Apple fostered innovation and competition by introducing its... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department and attorney generals from 16 states sued Apple Inc. and five major book publishers, alleging they colluded to raise the price of electronic books. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Morning Business Memo: Amazon is the big winner in the government’s decision to go after Apple and major publishers over alleged ebook price fixing. Amazon might decide to slash the price of many bestsellers from $14.99 to $9.99. The Justice Department and 15 states sued... Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Attorneys General in 16 states filed suit against Apple and three publishing companies Wednesday, following a similar suit filed this morning by the US Justice Department. Unlike the federal suit, the states action also looks for monetary compensation in addition to the end of the collusive... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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