WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On August 11, 2011, Finkelstein Thompson LLP filed a class action complaint against Apple, Inc. and six major book publishers alleging a horizontal conspiracy to fix and increase the price of eBooks in the United States. These allegations, if proved, may entitle purchasers of eBooks to monetary damages. The publishers include Hachette Book Group, Inc., HarperCollins Publishers Inc., Macmillan Publishers, Inc., Penguin Group (USA), Inc., Random House, Inc., and Simon & Schuster, Inc. The action is currently pending before Judge George B. Daniels of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as Grover et al v. Macmillan et al (Case # 11-civ-5576). Finkelstein Thompson has also moved the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to consolidate all similar class actions filed in other courts before Judge Daniels.
The complaint alleges that six of the defendants implemented price-fixing agreements contemporaneously with Apple’s introduction of the iPad in April, 2010. Defendants allegedly did so by coordinating the introduction of an “agency” model for eBooks sales, where the publishers are the direct sellers of the eBooks and dictate the price at which online retailers, such as Amazon.com, can sell the eBooks as agents for the publishers. The book publishers and Apple allegedly agreed among themselves to simultaneously raise the price of eBooks, often from $9.99 to $12.99 or higher. The remaining defendant – Random House, Inc. – implemented a similar price increase in February 2011.
Finkelstein Thompson seeks to represent a nationwide class of persons that purchased the defendants’ eBooks at a price above $9.99 after April 1, 2010. The complaint also asserts claims on behalf of California and Maryland residents under each state’s antitrust laws. If you are interested in discussing your rights, or have information relating to this investigation, please contact Finkelstein Thompson's Washington, DC offices at (877) 337-1050 or by email at contact@finkelsteinthompson.com.
Finkelstein Thompson has spent over three decades delivering outstanding representation to clients, and has been appointed as lead or co-lead counsel in dozens of class actions. The firm has served in leadership roles in cases that have recovered over $1 billion.
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