Tuesday, November 27, 2012


If you own a Kindle, you’ve likely already heard that three publishers have settled with the Department of Justice concerning an anti-trust suit alleging that publishers colluded to fix the price of ebooks.  Amazon has sent emails to Kindle owners alerting them that soon they should receive store credit that can be used to buy either ebooks or other merchandize from Amazon.  (Kindle owners can also request a check.)  These credits apply to ebooks purchased from the three publishers who have settled—Hachette, Harper Collins, and Simon & Schuster—that were purchased between April 2010 and May 2012.  Publishers Penguin and Macmillan, as well as Apple, are still fighting the charges.  No court date has yet been set, but it appears as though the case may not make it to court until next year.  Also, there is no word yet on how the announced merger between Penguin and Random House (the only major publisher not charged by the Department of Justice for price fixing) may affect Penguin’s role in the suit and ebook retailing in general.