The International Trade Commission trial in Microsoft’s patent infringement action against Barnes & Noble began in Washington on Monday, with BN scoring a prominent opinion in their favor. ITC attorney Jeffrey Hsu told Bloomberg that “he is recommending that ITC Judge Theodore Essex find there was no violation by Barnes & Noble of three Microsoft patents” in testimony given before evidence was presented at trial. Microsoft, however, believes Hsu’s opinion will be swayed once the trial is underway. The software company said in its original complaint that Amazon has licensed at least one of their patents for the Kindle. If the […]
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Keeslar’s Departure Leaves Dorchester With No Editorial Staff, But Publisher Says “Business Is Usual”
The long-running saga of Dorchester’s financial troubles continued this week with the departure of editorial director Chris Keeslar, the last remaining editorial staffer at the house, on January 31. In a letter to colleagues obtained by author Brian Keene, Keeslar said he was “no longer employed by Dorchester or collecting mail from this address” and directed queries to the five remaining employees at Dorchester, none of whom hold editorial positions. Dorchester marketing and publicity coordinator Hannah Wolfson confirmed Keeslar’s departure but said “nothing material has changed” at the publisher and “everything is business as usual.” The future of the company’s […]
No, Barnes & Noble Won’t Stock Amazon Publishing Titles in Their Stores
With Amazon indicating that their New York publishing division intends to make its titles available to other ebookstores alongside their print licensing deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Barnes & Noble has provided a quick answer on whether they will revise their position and carry those books. According to a statement issued Tuesday afternoon by BN chief merchandising officer Jamie Carey, “Barnes & Noble has made a decision not to stock Amazon published titles in our store showrooms.” He added: “Our decision is based on Amazon’s continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and the authors they represent. These exclusives have […]
eNews: Sesame Workshop eBooks From Random House; Piatkus’s Digital Romance Imprint; and More
Random House and Sesame Workshop launched a new digital publishing initiative this week with a number of ebooks focusing on early reading and readiness. Elmo Says Achoo! and Elmo’s Breakfast Bingo are the first titles on sale, with an additional 19 titles available this Spring. “With this program, Random House and Sesame Workshop are expanding our long-standing partnership of more than four decades and extending our shared commitment to children’s literacy and enriching children’s early learning experiences to a new platform,” vp, publisher Random House/Golden Books Young Readers Group Kate Klimo said in a statement. Release On Valentine’s Day Piatkus […]
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Licenses Amazon NY’s Adult List for New Imprint
The deal that Amazon Publishing’s New York adult line has been mentioning to agents since it started acquiring has formally come to pass: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has executed a broad “print licensing agreement” and will issue the unit’s entire list in print form in North America, including through Amazon.com itself. HMH will publish the books under a distinct new imprint, called New Harvest. (There is some confusing wording in the press release, so you should be clear on two points: HMH is licensing rights and will be the print publisher, not just the distributor, and the HMH editions will be […]
Corporate: Apple Sold 15.4 million iPads in First Quarter; Meredith Buys AllRecipes.com
Apple reported record earnings for the first quarter of its fiscal year, ending December 31, and beat Wall Street expectations so handily the stock was halted after hours Tuesday, rising more than $30 a share. The company sold 15.4 million iPads and 37 million iPhones during the quarter on net income of $13.1 billion, and $43.4 billion in revenue. Profits more than doubled compared to the first quarter of 2011. Apple sold over 40 million iPads in 2011, and has moved more than 55 million units since launching in early 2010. Release Though Random House was among the four reported […]