| Series Title | EurActiv |
|---|---|
| Series Details | 14.12.12 |
| Publication Date | 14/12/2012 |
| Content Type | News |
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The European Commission adopted a decision in December 2012 that renders legally binding commitments offered by Apple and four international publishers - Simon & Schuster (CBS Corp., USA), Harper Collins (News Corp., USA), Hachette Livre (Lagardère Publishing, France), Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck (Germany; owner of inter alia Macmillan). The Commission had concerns that these companies may have contrived to limit retail price competition for e-books in the European Economic Area (EEA), in breach of EU antitrust rules. To address these concerns, the companies offered in particular to terminate on-going agency agreements and to exclude certain clauses in their agency agreements during the next five years. The publishers have also offered to give retailers freedom to discount e-books, subject to certain conditions, during a two-year period. After a market test, the Commission is satisfied that the final commitments remedy the identified competition concerns it had identified. EurActiv reported that the European Commission closed the antitrust inquiry into e-book prices on the 13 December 2012 after Apple and four international publishers agreed to ease pricing restrictions on Amazon and other retailers. |
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| Source Link | http://www.euractiv.com/competition/amazon-wins-eu-book-pricing-batt-news-516645 |
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| Subject Categories | Internal Markets |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
