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US: DOJ talks with publishers have eBooks market anxious again

By  |  June 3, 2014

The eBooks industry is feeling anxious over reports that the US Department of Justice has been in contact with several publishers that were once the target of an eBooks price-fixing investigation.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the DOJ spoke with Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins to discuss their pricing strategies since the investigation closed, ending with a settlement. The significance of the discussions, however, are unclear, reports say.

Some industry experts are concerned that the contact between the DOJ and publishers is causing issues surrounding eBook pricing to resurface that publishers thought they had settled for good. The DOJ’s probe into the publishers and Apple explored alleged anticompetitive pricing strategies struck between the companies.

Apple eventually went to trial with the DOJ, resulting in a judge siding with federal officials.

Full content: The Book Seller

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