So I was checking my email, as I often do, and came across an email from Amazon. The title of this email was “Kindle Book Credit – Important Information Re: Attorneys General Settlements”. Now, I was aware that 49 of the states in the US were filing lawsuits against Hachette, Harper Collins and Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Macmillian for their part in fixing e-book pricing that coincidentally went into soon after the iPad was announced.
To be clear, Amazon is not in the settlement, they are merely one of the many retailers that are beneficiaries of the settlement. The Settlement includes purchases that were made between 4/1/2012 and 5/21/2012. The Attorneys General estimate that the settlement will be between $0.30 and $1.32 for each Kindle book purchased, from these publishers, during this time.
The settlement will not go into affect until the court has agreed to the settlement. The hearing is set to be held on February 8, 2013 at 10:00 AM. If the courts agree to the settlement Amazon will automatically credit the proper amount for each user. In order for customers to be eligible, they do not have to do anything. Once Amazon does refund the money, the credit can only be used towards Kindle or print books, not other Amazon products.
There are a couple of exemptions from qualifying for a rebate. If a customer returned their e-book they do not qualify for a rebate on that title. In addition, if the customer lives in Minnesota, they will not receive a refund.
If an Amazon customer wishes to opt out of the settlement, they can do so. However, I do not see why they would need to do so. This settlement should be quite simple, and seamless, for Amazon customers. In order to receive their portion of settlement, they do not have to anything.
There are two websites to peruse in order to learn more information about the settlement. They are Amazon’s settlement page and the website for the settlement.
Dear Kindle Customer,
We have good news. You are entitled to a credit for some of your past e-book purchases as a result of legal settlements between several major e-book publishers and the Attorneys General of most U.S. states and territories, including yours. You do not need to do anything to receive this credit. We will contact you when the credit is applied to your Amazon.com account if the Court approves the settlements in February 2013.
Hachette, Harper Collins, and Simon & Schuster have settled an antitrust lawsuit about e-book prices. Under the proposed settlements, the publishers will provide funds for a credit that will be applied directly to your Amazon.com account. If the Court approves the settlements, the account credit will appear automatically and can be used to purchase Kindle books or print books. While we will not know the amount of your credit until the Court approves the settlements, the Attorneys General estimate that it will range from $0.30 to $1.32 for every eligible Kindle book that you purchased between April 2010 and May 2012. Alternatively, you may request a check in the amount of your credit by following the instructions included in the formal notice of the settlements, set forth below. You can learn more about the settlements here:
www.amazon.com/help/agencyebooksettlements
In addition to the account credit, the settlements impose limitations on the publishers’ ability to set e-book prices. We think these settlements are a big win for customers and look forward to lowering prices on more Kindle books in the future.
Thank you for being a Kindle customer.
The Amazon Kindle Team
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(c) 2012 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.
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Benefits from an Attorney General E-books Settlement Fund
Para una notificación en Español, llamar o visitar nuestro website.
Records indicate that you are eligible for a payment from Settlements reached by the State Attorneys General with E-book publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster. The Settlements resolve an antitrust lawsuit about the price of electronic books (“E-books”). Amazon.com has not been sued in this case. It is providing this notice as a service to its customers.
What the Settlements Provide
The Settlements create a $69 million fund for payments to consumers who purchased qualifying E-books from April 1, 2010 through May 21, 2012. If the Court approves the Settlements, eligible consumers like you will receive automatic credits to your E-reader accounts. The credit can be used on any purchases of E-books or print books. The amount of your payment has been determined based on the qualifying E-book purchases identified by Amazon.com in your E-reader account.
How to Receive your Benefit
Because you are pre-qualified, you do not need to do anything to receive your credit. It will be applied to your account by Amazon.com automatically, and you will receive another email letting you know when it’s available. (If you bought E-books from more than one retailer, you may receive notices with different instructions about whether you will receive a credit or need to file a Claim Form for that retailer. You will have a separate claim for each retailer and you should follow the specific instructions from each one.)
You also have the option to receive a check instead of your credit. You can request a check by calling 1-866-621-4153, or going to the Settlement website listed below, and clicking on the Check Request Option link. Be sure to reference the Settlement ID number found at the bottom of this email. The Settlement website is: www.EBookAGSettlements.com
Your Other Rights
You can choose to exclude yourself from the Settlements and keep your right to sue on your own. If you exclude yourself, you can’t receive any benefits from the Settlements. If you don’t exclude yourself, you can submit objections about the Settlements.
Your written Exclusion Form or objections must be postmarked by December 12, 2012. Please visit the Settlement website for detailed information on how to submit a valid Exclusion Form or objection.
A separate lawsuit against two other publishers and Apple, Inc. continues and is set for a trial in 2013. Your rights in the separate suit are not affected by any action you take in regards to these Settlements.
The Court will hold a hearing on February 8, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. to consider whether to approve the Settlements. You or your own lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the hearing.
For more detailed information:
Call 1-866-621-4153 or visit www.EBookAGSettlements.com
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I got the email from Amazon too.
My kids and wife have bought a ton of books – hopefully we’ll get a bit of a rebate!
Thanks for posting this Wayne