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Canada: EBook seller claims settlement will allow Amazon monopoly

By  |  March 14, 2014

EBook retailers Kobo and Indigo Books & Music are reportedly facing off against the Canadian Competition Bureau’s recent settlement with eBook publishers as they fear the deal will allow Amazon to gain a monopoly on the market.

After Kobo filed an objection to the settlement to the Competition Tribunal last month, the company has now reportedly asked authorities to postpone the agreement’s implementation, according to reports.

In its memorandum, filed last week, the company said that “without a stay, Kobo will be irreparably harmed.” The deal, which removed restrictions on retailers’ discounts on eBooks, will lead to “unrecoverable losses” and allow Amazon to obtain a “monopoly or near-monopoly on the supply of eBooks in Canada,” Kobo said.

The Competition Bureau struck an agreement with publishers, including Macmillan and HarperCollins, will require the publishers to end contractual bans on eBook discounting by retailers. The settlement is set to take effect this week.

Full Content: Financial Post

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