In Europe, the Germany Publishers and Booksellers Association (the Borsenverein) announced today that it filed a 22-page complaint last week against Amazon with the Federal Cartel Office, asking for an investigation into the etailers’ negotiations with book publishers and accusing the company of violating antitrust laws. They are protesting Amazon’s intentional “business interruption” with the books published by Bonnier in Germany, similar to what Hachette has been experiencing in the US. To be clear, the association is relying on media reports indicating Amazon is looking to increase their share of ebook proceeds to 40 percent or 50 percent. Borsenverien chief executive […]
