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Amazon Sending New Round of Credits to E-Book Buyers as Part of Apple Price Fixing Settlement

Wednesday October 18, 2017 10:13 am PDT by Juli Clover
Customers who purchased a Kindle e-book between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012 may be receiving a credit from Amazon this morning as the retailer continues distributing funds from an antitrust lawsuit levied against Apple back in 2013 by the United States Justice Department.

Emails were sent out to eligible customers in the United States this morning, and Amazon has also set up a website that will list available credits for those who are eligible for a refund.

Apple, along with five other publishers including HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, and Penguin, was found guilty of conspiring to inflate the prices of e-books to weaken Amazon's dominant position in the market. While the five publishers settled, Apple held out and appealed several times, but was ultimately ordered to pay a total of $450 million.

Apple maintained its innocence throughout the initial trial and appeals, and has argued that its deals with publishers introduced competition to a market that was largely controlled by Amazon. The United States Justice Department did not see it that way, though, as Apple's efforts ultimately raised prices for consumers.


Several rounds of refunds have already been distributed as a result of the lawsuit. In 2014, customers received refunds funded by publishers, and in 2016, refunds totaling $400 million, or the bulk of the money paid by Apple, were sent out. This new round of refunds has also been funded by Apple's settlement and comes from $20 million that was earmarked to pay states that were involved in the lawsuit.

Credits sent out today will last for six months and will need to be spent by April 20, 2018.

Update: Customers are also receiving notices about available Apple credits that are also being distributed today. Credits are being added to Apple accounts automatically and can be used in iBooks, iTunes, and the App Store.

Tags: lawsuit, Amazon, antitrust, e-books
[ 54 comments ]


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flat five
22 months ago
I’m rich !!



:)

Rating: 11 Votes
Avatar
camnchar
22 months ago
$5.90. I bought the most overpriced e-books so far!
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
jayducharme
22 months ago
This whole case still confuses me. What I remember most is Apple wanting to cap electronic educational text book prices at $14.99 through iBooks. Perhaps that can be seen as price fixing. But apparently all they said was that they didn't want to sell text books at a higher price than that, which would have been great for students. Instead, Amazon was handed a near-monopoly on eBooks. How was this whole settlement good for consumers (besides those of you who were sent you $.76)?
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
D.T.
22 months ago
My wife said she got $3.62, I married into money!!
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
Ghost31
22 months ago

I just got my $0.76 ... can't decide how to start spending it!
[doublepost=1508347228][/doublepost]


Looks like I made out way better than you did!

:D

Jesus. Shove it right in his face why don’t ya that you’re net worth is twice as much now!
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
69Mustang
22 months ago

I am having trouble trying to figure out where to spend the $0.38 cents I received. o_O

Down payment on iPhone X? :p:D
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
Weaselboy
22 months ago

Down payment on iPhone X? :p:D

That would be almost one whole pixel.
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
Weaselboy
22 months ago

$5.90. I bought the most overpriced e-books so far!

Not so fast there! :D

$17.18... I'm rich I tell ya'.



Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
D.T.
22 months ago
I just got my $0.76 ... can't decide how to start spending it!
[doublepost=1508347228][/doublepost]

I’m rich !!



:)



Looks like I made out way better than you did!

:D
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
kingpushup
22 months ago
This was good for Amazon, not for customers or writers or the industry. Apple subsequently said effectively: ‘You want a race to the bottom in literature? We are out of this business.’
Rating: 4 Votes

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