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US: Still more authors urge US antitrust probe of Amazon

By  |  July 14, 2015

Authors and booksellers are urging US antitrust officials to investigate whether online retail titan Amazon is abusing its considerable power to the detriment of readers, following a similar move in Europe.

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    The Authors Guild, Authors United and the American Booksellers Association called for the probe in letters on Tuesday to the Department of Justice.

    They argue that Seattle-based Amazon has used its strength to squeeze larger shares of book revenue from publishers and authors and to curtail sales of some works, while promoting others.

    “In recent years, Amazon has used its dominance in ways that we believe harm the interests of American readers, impoverish the book industry as a whole, damage the careers of (and generate fear among) many authors, and impede the flow of free ideas in our society,” Authors United said in a copy of the letter posted online.

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