US: Experts doubt Amazon/publisher dispute will catch antitrust attention

As critics called for US antitrust regulators to pay closer attention to Amazon’s recent aggression against book publisher Hachette, the latest reports say experts doubt authorities will take much notice.

Amazon is deliberately delaying Hachette book deliveries and has removed some Hachette pre-order options from the online retail side, reports say. While the companies have not confirmed the cause for the dispute, some insiders suggest it is over the price of eBooks.

EBook prices are a top focus of the Department of Justice, which is in the midst of a battle with Apple after a court found the tech company to have violated antitrust law in agreements made with publishers over eBooks prices.

But while the DOJ is busy having recently filed a response to Apple’s appeal of that decision, some argued that the regulator should look at Amazon and its business practices with Hachette, the nation’s fourth-largest book publisher.

Antirust experts, however, believe the dispute is a typical business disagreement that does not warrant antitrust intervention on antitrust grounds.

Full content: Reuters

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.