EU Investigating E-Book Publishers

The European Commission is investigating Apple and five international electronic book publishers over claims of price-fixing and anti-competitive conduct in the European e-book market.

The European Commission is investigating whether Hachette Livre, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holzbrinck could have collaborated with Apple to fix e-book prices, thus breaking the EU's strict anti-trust laws on 'cartels and restrictive business practices'.

A statement from the European Commission outlines that 'The Commission will in particular investigate whether these publishing groups and Apple have engaged in illegal agreements or practices that would have the object or the effect of restricting competition in the EU or in the EEA.'

Proceedings have been officially opened but there's no telling how long the matter will take to investigate.
If the allegations are judged to be founded, the publishers in question could face some very hefty fines!

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