Yesterday’s PublishingPoint conversation Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy’s conversation with Google Book Rights Registry CEO Michael Healy could not have been timed any better, though the news that emerged had less to do with the Google Book Settlement — and the now unclear future of the Rights Registry — and more with the original intent of the event, on S&S’s plan for existing and future digital initiatives. Reidy did comment briefly about the GBS rejection, saying she was disappointed, but the news wasn’t too surprising” and that she hopes it is “another way station along the way to a […]
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Joseph-Beth Store in Virginia Stays Open With Auction Bid Deadline Set for April 19
Just before a federal bankruptcy court judge was set to consider Joseph-Beth‘s motion to close its Fredericksburg, VA store, attorneys for the company withdrew the request after receiving “formal and informal objections” to the plan. Instead, Joseph-Beth decided to include the store in its ongoing sale process with the other four locations still open in Memphis, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Lexington, KY. Buyers have until April 19 to submit a bid, and if multiple offers come in the auction will be held no later than April 27. “We obviously aren’t where we wanted to be,” Joseph-Beth president Neil Van Uum told […]
B&N’s Attempt To Sell Itself Appears To Have No Takers
Barnes & Noble’s ongoing “exploration of strategic alternatives” — which we all know by now is code for being for sale – appears to be nearing an end without a buyer. Five unnamed sources with apparent knowledge of the bidding process told Bloomberg yesterday that “interest from at least seven potential buyers waned after the first round of bidding,” and “private-equity firms and strategic bidders have backed away from the auction” after getting cold feet about BN’s digital sales prospects, at least in relation to its larger, market cap-rich competitors Amazon, Apple and Google. The auction will continue “for […]
Amazon API Returns to Lendle; Inkling Gets Investment From McGraw-Hill and Pearson; and More eNews
After what turned out to be a brief hiccup, Amazon has now reinstated access to its API access for ebook lending service Lendle. The problem turned out to be Lendle’s BookSync feature, which syncs a user’s Kindle books with their Lendle account and which Amazon said violated its terms of service. Lendle has now disabled what it termed a “very useful, but non-essential feature” and added “we need to work towards a Lendle product that does not rely on APIs provided by Amazon or any other third party.” Lendle statement Interactive textbook company Inkling secured “significant minority investment” from […]
Finally, Judge Chin Decides: The Google Book Settlement Is Rejected
Nearly a year after Judge Denny Chin was confirmed to the 2nd Circuit Appeals Court, and more than 13 months after his hearing on the Google Book Settlement, he finally ruled. the settlement “is not fair, adequate or reasonable” and is rejected. While Judge Chin outlines a number of concerns, he notes one fundamental change that could make it acceptable: change it from opt-out to opt-in, and Chin says, “I urge the parties to consider revising the ASA accordingly.” Of course that would literally change everything, not only removing the settlement’s attempt to provide a legal and business-driven solution to identifying […]
Infringe This: Apple Sues Amazon Over “Appstore” Name, While Microsoft Upset at B&N Over Nook OS Invented By Some Other Company
Yesterday provided an almost embarrassing wealth of stories highlighting how sensitive technology companies can be about supposed infringement – especially when what’s vexing them the most involves another company not involved in legal action at all. For Apple, the very fact that Amazon named its Android app store, well, “Appstore,” caused enough conniptions for them to file a complaint last Friday in Northern California Federal Court, Bloomberg reports. “Amazon has begun improperly using Apple’s App Store mark in connection with Amazon’s mobile-software developer program,” Apple said in the complaint. They trademarked the term “app store” in July 2008, a move […]