Apple, Amazon e-book deals accused of being anti-competitive

Electronic-book deals between Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc. and major book publishers may be anti-competitive, Connecticut Atty. Gen. Richard Blumenthal said Monday.

Blumenthal’s office said he is investigating whether the terms of these agreements, in which Apple and Amazon “will receive the best prices for e-books over any competitors,” lead to less competition when it comes to book pricing.

“These agreements appear to deter certain publishers from offering discounts to Amazon and Apple’s competitors — because they must offer the same to Amazon and Apple,” Blumenthal’s office said in a statement.

Such a stipulation “blocks cheaper and competitive prices for consumers,” the statement said.

The agreements were with publishers such as Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and Penguin.

Blumenthal said the agreements “appear to have already resulted in uniform prices for many of the most popular e-books — potentially depriving consumers of competitive prices.”

Blumenthal also noted that the market for e-books is “set to explode,” with Amazon and Apple “likely to command the greatest share.”

Pimentel writes for MarketWatch.com/McClatchy.