Amazon Given Further License to Rape the Book Trade
by Hedley Lamarr
Posted 11th September 2012
A judge in Manhattan has approved a settlement between the US Government and three large publishing houses over the pricing of e-books. The anti-trust suit was filed by the US Justice department in 2010, claiming that there had been collusion between the three companies - HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and the Hatchett Book Group - in workig to maintain their pricing on the e-book market.
They were part of a legal battle also involving Apple, the Penguin Group USA and Macmillan, however these companies refused the settlement and their trial will be held next year.
This decision will allow, if not encourage, Amazon.com to lower the pricing of their e-books to $9.99 or lower, and will pressure smaller retailers to follo suit. As if it hadn't been hard enough already.
A statement issued from the dark throne of online-mailorder said only that it was "a big win for Kindle owners."
For a better look at the New York Times article:-
