According to Reuters, the investigation launched in December due to concerns that Apple’s pricing agreements with publishers restricted competition in Europe. Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Livre, and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck allegedly agreed to set prices on the online versions of their books for sale through Apple.
Reuters elaborated:
The proposed concessions, as Reuters further reported, apparently resemble the settlements from April regarding a price-fixing lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette.
Pearson Plc’s Penguin group, which is also being investigated, was not mentioned among those submitting proposals.
The Commission was now sounding out opinions from the industry as to whether the concessions are sufficient, the person familiar with the matter said, before a formal market test which could lead to the investigation being dropped.
- WSJ: Sen. Schumer presses DOJ to drop Apple eBook suit (9to5mac.com)
- Apple calls DOJ settlement with publishers unlawful, says trial is necessary (9to5mac.com)
- Judge rules Walter Isaacson notes on Steve Jobs can’t be used as evidence in price-fixing lawsuit (9to5mac.com)
