Legal

We’ve been doing a lot of talking to other members of the press the last couple of weeks (mostly on background) helping to explain some of the details of the legal issues around ebook pricing — and we’ve been reading a lot of articles, as usual. There are two important errors/misunderstandings, both in press accounts and even among some well-informed industry people, that keep getting repeated as if fact, so we wanted to clear that up for you. 1. One is the idea that “Hachette is up first” according to the court’s schedule for staggered renegotiations of e-book contracts with […]

After the Appeals Court denied Apple’s motion for a stay of the ebook damages trial, Judge Denise Cote requested that Apple and the plaintiff states come up with a new schedule that would allow consumers enough time to be notified of the pending litigation (and whether they wish to opt out). The plaintiffs had indicated previously that Apple’s temporary stay and Appeals Court hearing rendered the scheduled July 14 trial date unworkable, but this is the first time the court has indicated a possible new date. As of now, the damages trial will be convened on August 25 at the earliest. According […]

The WSJ reported Monday night  that “the Justice Department has gone back to the publishers asking about any recent pricing discussions they may have had with others in the industry, say people familiar with the situation.” The “inquiries” the paper refers to were “made in recent weeks by letter,” just as at least two publishers are in negotiations with Amazon. The Journal adds, “The significance of the Justice Department’s latest move isn’t clear. The inquiries don’t necessarily mean any legal action is imminent or even likely, a person familiar with the situation said.” But it sure sounds intimidating, doesn’t it? The […]