This is a partial-index only of Publishers Lunch reports within the “Agency Lawsuits” section. It focuses on guiding readers to key original documents in the four different legal actions (the Federal lawsuit; the state lawsuit; the class-action lawsuit; and the EU investigation). In each sub-section, links are listed starting with the most recent postings. If you page back manually through the “Agency Lawsuits” section you will find many additional articles as well. Legal Filings: Department of Justice Lawsuits Macmillan’s answer Penguin’s answer Apple’s answer DOJ’s complaint DOJ’s competitive impact statement DOJ’s proposed settlement agreement with Harper, HBG and S&S DOJ […]
Archives for September 2012
Hurry Up, Wait, and What The…!? Life Under Agency Lite
With Judge Denise Cote approving the settlement between the Department of Justice and HBG, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster more swiftly than most people expected, the industry moves into the what-happens-next phase. The answer, depending upon your view, is either just complicated, or a big fat mess. The biggest immediate pressure is the need for the Settlers to have new contracts in place with Apple in as little as week. And the biggest wildcard is what, if anything, happens with appeals. Here is our guide (which we reserve the right to modify at any time). The Legal Parts: Another Delay? […]
Ingram Will Distribute Kobo eReaders To ABA Member Stores
Now that the ABA is partnering with Kobo to supply ebooks to independent bookstores, the organization has announced that Ingram will serve as the exclusive distributor of Kobo devices to ABA member stores. For now, Ingram is authorized to wholesale devices only to ABA stores; the company says permitting them to wholesale to other accounts “will be a Kobo decision.” ABA member stores who order Kobo devices from Ingram will also take part in a special launch incentive timed for the holiday season that includes free displays and demo devices, an unspecified cash bonus for participating, rebates for sell-through, and […]
People
Former Harper UK executive John Bond and former Harper Press senior editor Annabel Wright have formed Whitefox Publishing Services. They “deliver bespoke, cost-effective and flexible creative excellence to help publishers, agents and writers to solve every publishing challenge.” Eric Winbolt has been promoted to the newly created role of digital creative director at Harper UK, reporting to group publisher Belinda Budge. As part of the process set in motion in June when Sainsbury took over HMV’s majority stake in Anobii, ceo Matteo Berlucchi and coo Matthew Hardcastle are leaving the company next week. Sainsbury executive Mark Bennett will serve as […]
More from Amazon: Merging the Digital/Audio Reading Experience, Kindle Serials
Amazon’s new device launch on Wednesday garnered the most media attention, but the company also introduced some intriguing new features that merge or break apart reading experiences — while potentially raising rights-related questions. People have long speculated that it would be great to “sync” ebooks and digital audio recordings so you can go back and forth between reading and listening without losing your place, and Amazon has built that with what they call Whispersync for Voice. It offers what they call a “continuous reading experience” between digital and audio editions, in which a customer can start reading one edition and continue in […]
Amazon Will Ship Three Kindle Fire HD Tablets, Including $499 4G With $50/Year Data Plan
The theme of Amazon’s Thursday afternoon press conference in Santa Monica was not so much the device particulars as ceo Jeff Bezos’s revised explanation of their goal and purpose: “People don’t want gadgets anymore. They want services. They want services that improve over time.” And “Kindle Fire is a service.” Bezos also explained, “We want to make money when people USE our devices, not when they BUY our devices. That is better alignment.” (Last year’s opening pitch for Kindle Fire was that “what we’re doing is making premium products and offering them at non-premium prices.”) The new mantra translates into […]