Serving Up Justice

I have been reading a lot of news reports over the last months about the Department of Justice lawsuit against Apple and five of the big six publishers, and I’m sure you have too (many of them in this newsletter). We all know this is an important legal case for those of us who work in this industry, maybe even work for one of the companies involved in the suit.

What does it all mean? Many of us are wondering: how will it impact me, my company and/or my job? What do I need to know about this lawsuit and, judging from the complexities of the reports I read, how can I hope to even figure out and understand what the takeaway of all this is for me?

Last week, in preparation for recording our session “Ebook Pricing and the DOJ: Does the Consumer Win or Lose?” one of the on-demand sessions at our forthcoming Publishing Business Conference and Expo this Thursday, September 13^th, I decided to read the actual DOJ complaint filed on April 11^th of this year. Expecting to be bogged down in complicated legalese, I found instead that it made for fascinating reading.

While I now feel I have a good grasp on the basics of the case, I still need some seasoned experts to guide me through the details, and to help me find the answer to the question of what it means for various industry segments. Luckily, I found those experts.

Our panel includes Molly Boast, partner at WilmerHale who served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice, and Marcelino Elosua, an outspoken and widely-admired Spanish publisher who brings his Stanford MBA and his many years as an author and a publisher to bear on the discussion.

Moderated by Book Business Editor-in-Chief Brian Howard, this webinar begins with Ms. Boast taking us step-by-step through a chronology of the case, highlighting key legal aspects and explaining them in clear civilian terms. Mr. Elosua then makes a case for the free market and argues one publisher’s perspective on the important ebook retail distribution issues on which this case hinges. Both panelists then answer a range of questions about aspects of the case, including questions how they expect the case to play out and along what timeline, who needs to pay attention and what they need to know, and what this all could mean for the future of ebook pricing models.

You will come away from this panel with a clear understanding of the case and with your questions answered. I encourage you to register now!