Both Apple and Audible have agreed to end their worldwide digital audiobook exclusivity agreements following an investigation by the European Commission and the German federal cartel office. The investigations began in November 2015 and were sparked by a complaint from the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, which asserted in their filing that approximately 90 percent of the digital audiobook market was controlled by Audible and iBooks. With the agreement in effect as of January 5, Apple can offer digital audiobooks from other suppliers for sale in their iTunes stores and Audible is free to sell their product through other digital music platforms. […]
