From Publisher’s Weekly:

After receiving 868 comments regarding its proposed settlement with Simon & Schuster, Hachette and HarperCollins in its e-book price fixing lawsuit, the Department of Justice has determined that the proposed “final judgment” provides “an appropriate and effective remedy” for the antitrust violations alleged in its complaint “and therefore is in the public interest.” It dismissed critical comments to the settlement as largely being submitted “by those who have an interest in seeing consumers pay more for e-books, and hobbling retailers that might want to sell e-books at lower prices.”

The DoJ further noted that many of the critical comments were more born from frustration with the “evolving nature of the publishing industry” in which e-books are putting pressure on the prevailing model that is built on physical supply chains and bricks-and-mortar stores. “Many critics of the settlements view the consequences of the conspiracy — higher prices — as serving their own self-interests, and they prefer that unfettered competition be replaced by industry collusion that places the welfare of certain firms over that of the public. That position is wholly at odds with the purposes of the federal antitrust laws — which were enacted to protect competition, not competitors,” the DoJ lawyers wrote.

You can read the article in its entirety here: DoJ Says E-book Deal to Go Ahead

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