What next in the battle for control of eBook prices? [REGISTRATION REQUIRED]

Anti-trust investigations in both the US and the EU into the pricing and distribution models for eBooks have cast a number of issues firmly into the spotlight. At a broader legal level, the discussion centres around whether an agency distribution model (which leaves control over retail pricing in the hands of the publisher) or a traditional wholesale distribution model (which gives retailers the power to set final prices to consumers) is the most appropriate for the distribution of electronic titles. Within that broader framework sits the anti-trust case that has been pursued on both sides of the Atlantic.