Quote:
Originally Posted by rdjack21
While I'm no fan of Amazon it's moves like this that are making me move my purchases from B&N to Amazon and Google.
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Indeed. It is striking that they didn't include their own customers' interests in their argument: I'm sure most B&N customers would like to see more discounting of ebooks.
It's also curious that they mention Indiecommerce as a provider of ebooks to independent booksellers. Nobody has bought a single ebook that way yet, as it has yet to replace the failed Google Books offering.
They also seem to forget that they chose to enter the market when Amazon had 90% market share and months before Agency pricing was officially announced. Or are they (indirectly) suggesting they had prior knowledge that agency pricing was coming, and that they would not otherwise have entered the market when they did? Maybe DoJ should send some subpoenas their way.
And after acknowledging that DoJ hasn't claimed that Agency pricing is improper, they then try to argue that it should be allowed to continue simply because it is their legal right. But if they illegally entered into the existing contracts, they must suffer the consequences if they are found at fault. It would be no different if they colluded to set prices by other means.
Are they serious that Amazon is going to get 'monopolistic' market share as a result of this settlement? Based on what line of reasoning? I don't really think Agency pricing has changed the trajectory of things very much. Many other factors are involved in Amazon's success (ecosystem, synergies, customer service, savvy investments, luck/timing, etc.). And I don't see any of the major competitors throwing in the towel. (This is not to say that the migration to digital is not disruptive to the print ecosystem.)
There are enough people who dislike Amazon to prevent that from happening, in any case. And with enough competitive pressure, I think publishers will finally drop DRM (it's not entirely without cost), and then all sorts of alternatives will become possible.
They might have a point about the 'non-trade' ebook market, though it might be difficult to make a clear distinction about what that is.