E-books: Price Fixing, Monopoly
major DOJ (Dept. of Justice) and EU lawsuits focused on collusion (Apple & publishers) rather than monopoly (Amazon) agency pricing: vendor takes a 30% cut of each sale -- used by Apple, with Hachette, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin wholesale model: discounted prices -- used by Amazon which is better for consumers? in the short-term: lower costs? in the long-term: fewer publishers? which is better for authors? for publishers? Penguin settles with Department of Justice in ebook pricing case 12/18/2012 In Europe, Publishers Dealt a Setback Over e-Book Pricing 12/13/2012 Apple e-book settlement with EU will allow Amazon to set prices 12/13/2012 You’re About to Get Some Money Back on Your Kindle Books 10/13/2012 E-book Readers - Attorney General Settlement iTunes credit; 10/13/2012 Apple and publishers subpoena Amazon in ebook pricing case 9/20/2012 Big Win For Amazon, B&N In Europe: Apple, Four Big Publishers Terminate Their Agency Deal 9/19/2012 Agreement Could End Europe’s E-Book Price-Fixing Inquiry 9/19/2012 That was fast: Amazon is already discounting settling publishers’ ebooks 9/10/2012 Judge Approves E-Book Pricing Settlement Between Government and Publishers Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins; 9/6/2012 What the ebook settlement means for publishers, Apple and you States; 8/31/2012 Apple, publishers offer antitrust EU concessions 8/31/2012 States reach $69 million ebook pricing settlement with publishers HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster: 4/2010-5/2012; 8/29/2012 Authors group, licensing expert slam DOJ's e-book settlement Parties cite Amazon investigation, bad DOJ market analysis; file amicus curiae briefs; 8/29/2012 DOJ compares Apple and publishers to big oil in ebooks case 'unmistakable' harm; 8/23/2012 Apple bashes Amazon and proposed ebook settlement Apple says the DOJ’s proposed settlement with three publishers is unlawful because it requires Apple — which is not settling — to terminate its contracts with those publishers. A trial is needed, Apple says, as well as more scrutiny of Amazon’s role in the lawsuit; 8/15/2012 Justice Department slams Apple, refuses to modify e-book settlement 7/23/2012 Amazon's the villain, not Apple, book sellers say 7/23/2012 Memo (from Sen. Charles Schumer) to DOJ: Drop the Apple E-Books Suit Restoring Amazon's monopoly in digital publishing is not in the public interest; 7/17/2012 U.S. judge sets 2013 trial date for Apple e-book lawsuit 6/22/2012 Barnes & Noble Argues Book Settlement ‘Punishes Consumers’ 6/7/2012 Apple: publishers "expressed varying degrees of unhappiness" with Amazon Says its agreements with e-book publishers are similar, but not identical; 5/30/2012 Apple says DoJ "sides with monopoly, rather than competition" Apple takes credit for breaking Amazon's "nearly absolute" control over e-books; 5/24/2012 Why Apple needs to settle its e-book suits 5/23/2012 Simon & Schuster settles with states in price fixing suit federal complaint dropped, civil suit pending; 5/17/2012 As 17 more states join class action against book publishers and Apple, new details revealed 5/14/2012 How Apple's Agency Model for Publishers Fails to Merit Collusion Charges 4/23/2012 Apple wants trial on e-book price-fixing 4/18/2012 Apple vs. Amazon: Who's the real price-fixer? 4/17/2012 Book Publishing’s Real Nemesis Amazon's low prices disguise a high cost; 4/16/2012 What's the future of e-book pricing? after DOJ (Dept. of Justice) suit; 4/13/2012 Antitrust and ebooks: regulators miss the big DRM lock-in picture (platform restrictions; in-app purchases); 4/12/2012 Barnes & Noble Hit Hard stock down on fear of aggressive discounting of best-selling e-books by Amazon; 4/13/2012 Apple Not Likely to Be a Loser in the E-Book Legal Fight small financial impact; 4/12/2012 Apple rebuffs DOJ e-book suit, says Amazon was monopoly however, DOJ conspiracy case does not have to show adverse effects on consumers; 4/12/2012 DOJ is likely to lose e-book antitrust suit targeting Apple Antitrust experts say feds have "far better case" for price fixing against publishers, three of which have settled, than they do against Apple.; 4/12/2012 Cut in E-Book Pricing by Amazon Is Set to Shake Rivals ($14.99 => $9.99? increase monopoly); 4/11/2012 Inside the DOJ's ebook price-fixing case against Apple: an analysis 4/11/2012 U.S. Alleges E-Book Scheme Lawsuit Says Apple, Publishers Colluded to Raise Prices; Three Will Settle (HarperCollins; Hachette; Simon & Schuster; leaving Macmillan, Penguin and Apple); 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 (used by Amazon) which allows stores to sell books at rock-bottom prices; 4/11/2012 The e-book wars: Who is less evil, Amazon or book publishers? 4/11/2012 Consumer group: E-book price fixing costs big bucks ($200 million in 2012); 4/9/2012 An Amazon.com power grab? (it wants deeper discounts from small presses); 4/8/2012 Apple Antitrust Suit Would Aid Amazon Book Monopoly (Turow, Pres. of Authors' Guild); 3/21/2012 EU open to settlement with e-book publishers 3/12/2012 Ebooks: Defending the Agency Model (comparison to Wholesale Model); 3/11/2012 Author's Guild Boss On E-Book Price Fixing Allegations 3/10/2012 Apple Downplays Role Of ‘Kindle Threat’ In Alleged e-Book Conspiracy 3/8/2012
Barnes & Noble Argues Book Settlement ‘Punishes Consumers’ 6/7/2012
Simon & Schuster settles with states in price fixing suit federal complaint dropped, civil suit pending; 5/17/2012
Book Publishing’s Real Nemesis Amazon's low prices disguise a high cost; 4/16/2012
Barnes & Noble Hit Hard stock down on fear of aggressive discounting of best-selling e-books by Amazon; 4/13/2012