Three Major Publishers Make $69 Million E-Book Settlement, But Apple Still Remains In Lawsuit

Three of the publishers that are involved in the antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department have made settlements.  About $69 million will be paid to consumers as a result.  The three agencies that made the settlement include Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster.  They will issue payouts and have agreed to terminate agency pricing contracts with publishers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This pricing model is similar to Apple’s 70-30 revenue split with app developers.  A clause in their agreement blocked Amazon from discounting best-selling e-books below cost.  Apple, Amazon, Google, Sony, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble have agreed to contact eligible customers via e-mail that the amount issued will be either a check or credit towards future purchases.

[TUAW]