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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Customers who purchased a Kindle e-book between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012 may be receiving a credit from Amazon this morning as the retailer continues distributing funds from an antitrust lawsuit levied against Apple back in 2013 by the United States Justice Department.

Emails were sent out to eligible customers in the United States this morning, and Amazon has also set up a website that will list available credits for those who are eligible for a refund.

Apple, along with five other publishers including HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, and Penguin, was found guilty of conspiring to inflate the prices of e-books to weaken Amazon's dominant position in the market. While the five publishers settled, Apple held out and appealed several times, but was ultimately ordered to pay a total of $450 million.

Apple maintained its innocence throughout the initial trial and appeals, and has argued that its deals with publishers introduced competition to a market that was largely controlled by Amazon. The United States Justice Department did not see it that way, though, as Apple's efforts ultimately raised prices for consumers.

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Several rounds of refunds have already been distributed as a result of the lawsuit. In 2014, customers received refunds funded by publishers, and in 2016, refunds totaling $400 million, or the bulk of the money paid by Apple, were sent out. This new round of refunds has also been funded by Apple's settlement and comes from $20 million that was earmarked to pay states that were involved in the lawsuit.

Credits sent out today will last for six months and will need to be spent by April 20, 2018.

Update: Customers are also receiving notices about available Apple credits that are also being distributed today. Credits are being added to Apple accounts automatically and can be used in iBooks, iTunes, and the App Store.

Article Link: Amazon Sending New Round of Credits to E-Book Buyers as Part of Apple Price Fixing Settlement
 

Moi Ici

macrumors 6502
Sep 21, 2012
323
566
Just got $2.86. It’s nice to receive something due without having to enter into a big “send this paperwork in by .....” crap. The amount of those I got through the mail in the 2000’s was annoying as the few I did apply for never got me any $ so I never bothered going forward. So, thanks for that, whoever sorted this!
 

koulmj

Suspended
Mar 18, 2013
376
471
Now I can afford an iPhone X!!! Just kidding. I will probably just buy a MacMini...
 

AlexH

macrumors 68020
Mar 7, 2006
2,035
3,151
I got just under $4. Somebody’s going on a book buying binge this afternoon!
 

jayducharme

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2006
4,626
6,319
The thick of it
This whole case still confuses me. What I remember most is Apple wanting to cap electronic educational text book prices at $14.99 through iBooks. Perhaps that can be seen as price fixing. But apparently all they said was that they didn't want to sell text books at a higher price than that, which would have been great for students. Instead, Amazon was handed a near-monopoly on eBooks. How was this whole settlement good for consumers (besides those of you who were sent you $.76)?
 

Vjosullivan

macrumors 65816
Oct 21, 2013
1,192
1,441
I never would have settled.
Lawyers love clients like you.
[doublepost=1508353477][/doublepost]
This whole case still confuses me. What I remember most is Apple wanting to cap electronic educational text book prices at $14.99 through iBooks. Perhaps that can be seen as price fixing. But apparently all they said was that they didn't want to sell text books at a higher price than that, which would have been great for students. Instead, Amazon was handed a near-monopoly on eBooks. How was this whole settlement good for consumers (besides those of you who were sent you $.76)?
Basically, it’s not up to Apple what price non-Apple companies should sell non-Apple products for.
 
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