Publishers settle dispute to let retailers sell discount e-books
The case highlights the battle between retailers and publishers over pricing control as publishers look to e-books to boost revenues, cut costs and reach bigger audiences.
The European Commission has been investigating Apple’s e-book pricing deals with Simon & Schuster, News Corp unit HarperCollins, French group Lagardere’s Hachette Livre, Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck, which owns Macmillan in Germany, and Pearson’s Penguin group. Apple and the publishers, with the exception of Penguin, have offered to settle with the commission, which began its inquiry last December. The EU watchdog detailed the offer yesterday.
