| EU Wraps Up Apple eBook Antitrust Case |  By Paul Thurrott | Antitrust regulators from the European Commission (EC) announced this morning that Penguin has joined four other book publishers in accepting a legally binding agreement to address charges that it artificially raised the price of ebooks in collusion with Apple. The agreement wraps up a European Union (EU) antitrust case that was almost identical to a similar, just-resolved antitrust case in the United States.
In both the US and EU cases, all parties save one agreed to terms very quickly. In the United States, the holdout was Apple, and that firm was just found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy with publishers to artificially and illegally raise the prices of ebooks, harming competitors and consumers. In the EU, Apple and four of the charged publishers immediately settled the antitrust suit, leaving Penguin to face an antitrust investigation alone. And this week, Penguin capitulated. Related: "EU Demands More Concessions from Google" | | ADVERTISEMENT |  Follow us on Twitter! Don't miss real-time updates on articles, virtual events, white papers, Essential Guides, webcasts, and more. Meet your peers and tell us what you think. Also look for us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
| | | "After our decision of December 2012, the commitments are now legally binding on Apple and all five publishers including Penguin, restoring a competitive environment in the market for ebooks," EC Competition Commissioner Joaquín Almunia said.
Penguin joined publishers Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Livre, and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck, as well as Apple, in accepting a legally binding agreement to change its business practices and cease its practice of artificially inflating ebook prices. Now, as before the time when Apple entered the ebook market and began the conspiracy to dethrone Amazon's Kindle platform, retailers are free to set prices on ebooks. "The Commission has concluded that the commitments offered by Penguin, the other four publishers, and Apple will contribute to creating a favorable environment for a reset of the competitive conditions in the ebooks market during a sufficient period of time," an EC announcement notes. And while the publishers and Apple settled to avoid an outright finding of guilt, should any infringe on their legally binding agreements with the EU, they will then be subject to fines of up to 10 percent of their annual revenues. This fine is identical to that which would be levied in the event of a guilty verdict. Related: "Apple Found Guilty of Antitrust Abuse in eBook Collusion Trial" | | Comment on this article... |
| Latest Blog Posts | What I Use: July 2013
Lots of changes since March, including a switch to Surface Pro for my daily computing needs, the Windows 8.1 Preview, the Nokia Lumia 1020, a different mix of Kindles, a new Roku, an increased reliance on a business version of Office 365, Xbox Music, and more.
Surface Tip: Skip the Touch and Type Keyboards
While Surface RT and Pro were designed to integrate quite nicely with Microsoft's Touch Keyboard and Type Keyboard, you can of course use any keyboard with these devices. Which raises an interesting question: Does it makes sense to opt for a bigger and more comfortable keyboard when you're on the go?
What the Tech 175: Android Confusion
This week on What The Tech, Andrew Zarian and I discuss dumb people on Twitter and Facebook. Paul's well-documented UFO sighting, in-car Bluetooth and entertainment systems such as Ford Sync, Verizon's 500 Mbps FiOS tier, Motorola's boring new Android phones, Paul's ambivalence about Android, and the possibility of an Apple smart watch.
Lumia 1020: Photo Acquisition
In the first article in a new series digging deeper into the Lumia 1020, I tackle one of the questions I'm asked most frequently about this device: How or whether it's possible to download both the original, full-sized and smaller, oversampled versions of each photo you take to your PC. The answer is yes, you can. Doing so is as easy as using your favorite photo acquisition application. | | Additional Resources | Fast, Flexible and Easy Server Backup
Disk-Based Backup for Windows and Linux Servers - and for Free! Click here to find out more. Why VMware and Hyper-V Disk is Broken
Protection for virtual environments is a critical aspect of a strong and efficient virtual machine. Environments like VMWare and hypervisors require specialized backup, but the majority are vulnerable, being protected by generic systems. |
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