Penguin settles with DoJ

[=X=]

Originally Posted by tomsem

What does Apple stand to gain, at this point, even if they were to win the suit (many months hence)? Facts on the ground have changed quite a bit. They have already had to adapt to non-agency pricing of ebooks, and will have to continue with that for the next couple of years at least. They are not going to get their nice, tidy one-size-fits-all (apps, music, video ebooks etc) business model back. They tried, and they have manifestly failed.

Admission of guilt, that is what they have to lose. Apple can command higher pieces is because they are trusted. Once people start losing trust things go down hill.

Another reason if for Apple to settle with the DOJ means they have to make some concessions and that is not Apple's way.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by =X=

Admission of guilt, that is what they have to lose. Apple can command higher pieces is because they are trusted. Once people start losing trust things go down hill.

How many people actually know or care?
Samsung, Phillips, LG and others have just been fined a total of ~1.5 billion (yes, billion, not million) euros for operating an illegal cartel.
Is that going to stop people buying their devices?

Another reason if for Apple to settle with the DOJ means they have to make some concessions and that is not Apple's way.

Once all the publishers have switched away from Agency, what is there left to make Apple do?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

.


Once all the publishers have switched away from Agency, what is there left to make Apple do?

Grovel!

[holymadness]

Thomas Pynchon's novels on Amazon.com have dropped in price by about $3 overnight.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by =X=

Another reason if for Apple to settle with the DOJ means they have to make some concessions and that is not Apple's way.

Uh, Apple has already settled with the feds before and they made concessions in the hiring cospiracy case that went *beyond* the scope of the lawsuit.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/billsing...rges-hit-ebay/

Although the Complaint alleged only that the companies agreed to ban cold calling, the settlement more broadly prohibited the companies from entering, maintaining or enforcing any agreement that in any way prevents any person from soliciting, cold calling, recruiting, or otherwise competing for employees.

And they settled and made concessions (minor ones, granted) to the brusselcrats.

Going by the earlier conspiracies that Apple has been caught in, nobody cares; their image is the same its always been.

[Top100EbooksRank]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

You are confusing "a"gency with "A"gency.
Apple's music and video are on an agency basis, because they simply act as a storefront for the content owners, and take their fixed cut. Apple do not set the prices for content, they have a set list of allowable prices, and the content owners pick which ones to apply to each item.
They are not on an "A"gency basis, because their is no most-favoured-nation clause, nothing preventing the content owners selling music and video to other retailers on different terms.

Apple could have done this too with ebook (agency but without the most favored clause). But they didn't want to use the Itunes model for Ebook.

If they used Itunes model, there would be no DOJ lawsuit.

Right now, selling ebook is still done with agency pricing but

1) without most favored clause
2) allow retailer to discount their 30% as long as the retailer don't make a loss on the overall catalog

[dkperez]

When Penguin's catalog shows up in Overdrive and available in public libraries at reasonable prices, I'll believe the job is done. 'Til then, as far as I'm concerned, they're still avaricious scumbags and I'll continue NOT buying anything from Penguin.