“Antitrust regulators from the European Union have welcomed an agreement between Apple and Amazon to end exclusivity deals for audiobooks,” Grant Gross reports for IDG News Service.
“The agreement between Apple and Amazon and its Audible service to remove the exclusivity obligations allows Audible to supply its downloadable audiobooks to third-party platforms beyond iTunes, the European Commission said Thursday,” Gross reports. “In addition, the agreement will allow Apple to source audiobooks from new suppliers and will allow publishers to enter into distributions agreements directly with Apple, the Commission said.”
Gross reports, “The removal of these exclusivity obligations ‘will allow for further competition in a fast-growing and innovative market and allow European consumers broader access to downloadable audiobooks,’ the Commission said in a press release.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This is very good news for audiobook consumers!
SEE ALSO:
German watchdog investigates Apple’s audiobooks deal with Amazon – November 16, 2015
Amazon completes initial tender offer for Audible – March 11, 2008
Amazon to buy Audible for $300 million – January 31, 2008
Audible extends exclusive iTunes Store deal with Apple through 2010 – July 31, 2006
Sounds like a win for both sides.
What?! No EU business inhibiting (consumer protection) bitching? Does any one think this deal wasn’t reached without some arm twisting of both sides by the EU?