You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

German Watchdog Probes Apple-Amazon Audiobook Arrangement The competition watchdog is launching an investigation into an arrangement between the two tech giants.

By Reuters

entrepreneur daily

This story originally appeared on Reuters

Reuters | Mike Segar

Germany's Federal Cartel Office has begun an investigation into Apple Inc's arrangement with Amazon for purchasing audiobooks, the competition watchdog said in a statement on Monday.

It said both companies had a long-term agreement for the purchase of audiobooks by Apple from Amazon's Audible business for distribution via Apple's iTunes store.

"The two companies have a strong position in the digital offering of audio books in Germany. Therefore, we feel compelled to examine the agreement between these two competitors in the audiobooks in more detail," cartel office chief Andreas Mundt said in the statement.

Apple and Amazon-unit Audible declined to comment.

In September, the association of German book sellers lodged complaints with the watchdog that Amazon and Audible were building a monopoly in the audiobook business.

The association said that Amazon and Audible were abusing their dominant market position to force publishers to accept "unreasonable conditions" for the marketing of audio books.

It said more than 90 percent of all downloads of audio books in Germany were made via the Audible or Amazon sites, or via the iTunes store, which is exclusively supplied by Audible.

In June, the European Commission opened an investigation into Amazon's e-book business, examining whether clauses in its contracts prevented publishers from offering more favorable deals to competitors.

(Reporting by Harro ten Wolde. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse

The crash exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts, leaving investors and customers scrambling to recoup their funds.

Business News

This Highly-Debated Piece of Cinematic History Just Sold For Over $700,000 at Auction

The wood panel from "Titanic" is often mistaken as a door. Either way, he couldn't have fit. (Sorry.)

Fundraising

Avoid These 9 Pitch Deck Mistakes When Asking Others For Money

Crafting an efficient pitch deck requires serious effort, but at least it's not wandering in the dark since certain rules are shaped by decades of relationships between startups and investors.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.