Apple and Amazon under suspicion of price fixing
Die US-Justiz nimmt Apple und Amazon unter die Lupe. Wegen Preisabsprachen bei elektronischen Büchern würden Leser zu viel bezahlen, so der Verdacht eines Staatsanwalts.
The agreements between publishers, Amazon and Apple led to uniform prices for many of the most popular e-books. In addition, competitors were forced out of business, the prosecutor stated. He is particularly bothered by a clause in the contracts according to which the publishers must always grant both Amazon and Apple the best price for e-books. This ensures that competitors hardly get any special conditions. Amazon is one of the pioneers in the electronic book market with its Kindle reading device; Apple has been able to win over many publishers for its new iPad tablet computer. Another major provider is the US bookstore chain Barnes & Noble with its Nook reader. The three have been engaged in a price war over devices for weeks - but the prices for bestsellers seem to have been cemented.
