Tag Archives: HarperCollins

Australia pondering joining e-book lawsuit bandwagon

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If Apple and the Big Five thought they only had to contend with a federal e-book lawsuit in the US, they'd better think again. Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission is inviting local businesses to raise formal concerns as it weighs up launching its own judicial broadside against the alleged cartel. The Commission refused to comment publicly on its plans beyond saying that it was "aware of the latest developments" and would listen to local resellers who had concerns about the Australian market. While Simon & Schuster, Hachette and HarperCollins made back-room deals with the DoJ yesterday, they'd still be involved (at least initially) with the second front of this conflict. Meanwhile, the threat remains of the European Union joining in: turning it from a spot of local trouble into a global courtroom battle for the future of e-book pricing.

Australia pondering joining e-book lawsuit bandwagon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Three iPad giveaways in three days: day one, courtesy of Wonders of the Universe!

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The response has been absolutely amazing since we began our regular series of giveaways two months ago. As a way of showing our gratitude -- not to mention the fact that these contests aren't going away anytime soon -- we're offering up three new iPads over the next three days! That's right, you'll have the chance to win one of Apple's latest tablets each day through Friday.

Let's meet our first contestant. We have a 16GB WiFi-only iPad up for grabs, courtesy of HarperCollins and its new app called "Wonders of the Universe." The astronomy app was designed for iOS5 and takes full advantage of the new iPad's Retina display. It essentially combines seven programs into one, offering a visual experience that lets you explore the Universe from subatomic levels all the way up to full galaxies. So read the rules, leave a comment and you've successfully entered to win for the first day! But you'll need to come back tomorrow and Friday if you want to take a shot at the other two.

Continue reading Three iPad giveaways in three days: day one, courtesy of Wonders of the Universe!

Three iPad giveaways in three days: day one, courtesy of Wonders of the Universe! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Justice Department formally charges Apple, big five publishers in e-book price fixing case (update)

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The Justice Department has formally decided to sue Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillian, Penguin and Simon & Schuster over alleged e-book 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 e-book 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   |  sourceBloomberg, Department of Justice filing (PDF)  | Email this | Comments