Book Business Applauds Government Lawsuit Against Amazon (publishersweekly.com)
The Federal Trade Commission, supported by 17 state attorneys general, finally filed its long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Amazon yesterday. In a 172-page complaint, the government alleged that the e-tailer “uses a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain its monopoly power.” The use of that power, the government continued, allows Amazon “to stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing against Amazon.” The immediate industry reaction to the news of the suit was uniform: “What took so long?” Or, in the words of Melville House publisher Dennis Johnson, that it was “about fucking time.” An industry lawyer, who wished to remain anonymous, gave a more nuanced view in wondering why it took the government so long to act, pointing to the infamous buy button case in 2010, when Amazon pulled Macmillan’s buy buttons in a dispute over e-book terms.
IWCO Direct, a leading provider of data-driven direct marketing solutions, today named Tedd Aurelius as vice president of sales. Aurelius will partner with current vice presidents of sales, Tom Hexamer and Jim Leone, to help lead IWCO Direct in creating new and expanded client engagements, and delivering on the company’s commitment to providing the highest level of service and results.