Julia Cheiffetz will return to HarperCollins as executive editor for Dey Street Books, starting October 6. She had been editorial director at Amazon Publishing until recently, prior to which she worked at Harper and Harper Studio. Another longtime Amazon executive announced plans to leave the company. Bill Carr, 47, has worked at Amazon for 15 years, and currently serves as head of digital music and video. He plans to leave at the end of the year. A spokesperson told the WSJ Carr wanted to spend time with family and “has other plans after that but not in the near term […]
DOJ
Coincidentally, Amazon’s Apple Settlement Notifications Immediately Follow Apple’s Event
Isn’t it an amazing coincidence that just as Apple is receiving massive media coverage for their introduction of new iPhones, Apple Pay and Apple Watch, Amazon has dispatched the latest round of consumer notification emails to ebook purchasers about the pending settlement with Apple? Of course consumer notification is “directed” by the court, so Amazon has to do this — as will all the other etailers (including the iBookstore) at some point. So consider this Amazon’s response to Apple’s recent promotion of books by George Orwell…. The salient point for consumers is that they only have until October 31 to […]
Apple Shareholders Sue Executives Claiming Agency Pricing Lawsuit “Caused Damages”
Apple may have settled its ongoing litigation over ebook pricing with the plaintiff states and consumer class earlier this summer (pending the outcome of the company’s appeal of Judge Cote’s 2013 ruling), but some of the same issues return in a new, derivative lawsuit launched by a single shareholder last Thursday in Santa Clara County California State Court. That complaint claims that Apple ceo Tim Cook and other executives, including Eddy Cue and directors Al Gore and Bill Campbell, “bear responsibility for ensnaring Apple in a multi-year anticompetitive scheme” and engaged in “breach of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets, and unjust […]
People, Etc.
Will Atkinson will join Atlantic Books as managing director and publisher on October 1. Previously he was sales and marketing director at Faber, where he spent the past 20 years. Atlantic chairman Peter Roche said in the announcement “At Faber, [Atkinson] has demonstrated an unrelenting enthusiasm for independent publishing tempered with an unparalleled zeal for negotiating the best deal. I’ve admired Will’s work for many years and believe he is the perfect person to head up Atlantic Books. Rowan Cope will join Simon & Schuster UK as editorial director on October 13. Previously she was a senior editor at Little, […]
Judge Cote Gives Preliminary Approval To Apple Settlement With States & Consumers
Despite reservations expressed earlier in a teleconference, Judge Cote gave preliminary approval to Apple’s settlement with the states and consumer class, which would see the company pay anywhere from $450 million if Apple’s appeal is denied to nothing if the appeal is completely reversed. The judge did find it “most troubling” that if the appeal is reversed and remanded to her court Apple would pay only $50 million. But in the 9-page order, Judge Cote said the plaintiffs “emphasize that they ‘strongly believe’ that the Remand Scenario is unlikely to occur,” with class counsel Steve Berman asserting this belief further in a July 30 letter. […]
Judge Cote Unconvinced By Aspects of Apple Settlement Proposal
In a teleconference call with lawyers for Apple, the plaintiff states, and the consumer class, Judge Denise Cote “expressed concern” with the proposed settlement before her that would see Apple pay anywhere from nothing (if they win their appeal of Cote’s July 2013 ruling in favor of the Department of Justice) to $450 million (if Apple loses.) Reuters reports Judge Cote found the middle scenario, which would have Apple pay $70 million should the appeals court reverse her finding in part and send it back for further proceedings, “most troubling” and thought it “might be unfair to consumers by undervaluing their claims.” […]