Amazon Offers to Settle EU Probe Over E-Books Contracts
- EU publishes settlement plan, seeks feedback on ending case
- Amazon has agreed to change e-book contracts with publishers
The Amazon e-book store.
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Amazon.com Inc. is poised to settle a European Union probe into its e-book deals with publishers by changing controversial clauses, according to regulators.
Amazon won’t enforce clauses that required publishers to offer it terms as good as or better than those they sign with other e-book distributors and will avoid them in future contracts, the European Commission said in a e-mailed statement that outlined details of the company’s offer to settle the investigation. The pledge would last five years and would allow publishers end contracts that link e-book discounts on Amazon to e-book prices on other online stores.