eBook pricing probe: Competition Bureau seeks documents from Indigo

The Competition Bureau has asked Canadian retail bookstore chain Indigo Books & Music Inc. to provide information in relation to the government body’s investigation into alleged anti-competitive behaviour in the Canadian electronic book industry.

In 2012, the watchdog launched an investigation into alleged price fixing in the eBook industry. The Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, MacMillan and Simon & Schuster, which publish many of the bestselling eBooks in Canada, agreed to remove or amend clauses in their distribution agreements with individual eBook retailers that the bureau believed restricts the retailers from lowering eBook prices.

Last week, the bureau filed an application in the Federal Court asking for records from Indigo and Kobo Inc., a Canadian eBook company that is a subsidiary of Japanese e-commerce conglomerate Rakuten.

However, the bureau clarified that Indigo (TSE: IDG), which is the largest bookstore chain in Canada, is not the subject of its investigation into price fixing.

“Contrary to several media reports, I can confirm that at this time, Indigo is not the subject of the Bureau’s ongoing investigation into alleged anti-competitive behaviour in the Canadian eBooks industry,” said John Pecman, commissioner of competition, in a statement. “At this time, the bureau’s investigation is focused on Penguin, Kobo and other market participants.”

He said the bureau is only “seeking information from Indigo pursuant to section 11 of the Competition Act to further its ongoing investigation.”

Section 11 allows the commissioner to obtain information from persons who have or are likely to have information that is relevant to matters being investigated by the bureau.

A report from the Globe and Mail said that Indigo was notified of the bureau’s court application last week.

Indigo is not a target of the bureau’s investigation but only happens to have records that may be relevant to its probe, according to the company’s spokesperson.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Nestor E. Arellano
Nestor E. Arellano
Toronto-based journalist specializing in technology and business news. Blogs and tweets on the latest tech trends and gadgets.

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now