“For Stephen Colbert, the Amazon-Hachette feud is getting personal,” Patrick M. Sheridan reports for CNNMoney. “Colbert took time Wednesday night on his Comedy Central show to say he was angry at Amazon for ‘deterring customers’ from buying his books.”
“The comedian offered viewers stickers saying ‘I didn’t buy it on Amazon’ that they can download from his site,” Sheridan reports. “Colbert, whose publisher is Hachette, took Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) to task for what Hachette has said is Amazon’s slow restocking of some of its books. ”
“Amazon has reportedly been pressuring Hachette to let it lower prices for e-books and ultimately pay Hachette less for them. Hachette has resisted,” Sheridan reports. “Amazon raised eyebrows last week saying that if customers are inconvenienced by its battle with the book publisher, they should buy Hachette’s books elsewhere. Amazon is the biggest name in book selling and sets the tone for book sales and publishers. Since Amazon is so powerful, publishers often have little choice but to accept Amazon’s terms.”
Read more in the full article here.
“The host produced an Amazon shipment of his own, which he said was from him and fellow Hachette authors J.K. Rowling and Malcolm Gladwell. He opened a box to reveal… his middle finger,” Tim Molloy reports for TheWrap. “‘Hey Amazon. Customers who enjoyed this, also bought this,’ he added, and then gave Amazon another middle finger.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Once again, we repeat:
Wonderful job, inept U.S. DOJ, you’ve emboldened an abusive monopolist to run amuck, you clueless wonders.
To paraphrase Scott Turow, the president of the Author’s Guild: The irony of this bites hard: our government has killed real competition in order to save the appearance of competition.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Susan Jackson” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple’s Star Chamber: An abusive judge and her prosecutor friend besiege the tech maker – December 5, 2013
In pretrial view, judge says leaning toward U.S. DOJ over Apple in e-books case – May 24, 2013
Lawyers have complained for years that Judge Denise Cote pre-judges cases before she enters the courtroom – August 14, 2013
Amazon’s Bezos has gone too far: The e-book monopolist may finally face a court of law – May 25, 2014
U.S. Federal Puppet Denise Cote: ‘Apple’s reaction to the existence of a monitorship underscores the wisdom of its imposition’ – January 16, 2014
Judge Denise Cote denies Apple request block her friend as ‘antitrust compliance monitor’ – January 13, 2014
Antitrust monitor Bromwich rebuts Apple accusations of ‘unconstitutional’ investigation – December 31, 2013
Apple seeks to freeze its U.S. e-books ‘antitrust monitor’ – December 15, 2013
The persecution of Apple: Is the U.S. government’s ebook investigation out of control? – December 10, 2013
Apple’s Star Chamber: An abusive judge and her prosecutor friend besiege the tech maker – December 5, 2013
Apple takes aim not just at court-ordered e-books monitor, but also at U.S. District Judge Denise Cote herself – December 2, 2013
U.S.A. v. Apple: Judge Denise Cote assigns DOJ monitor in Apple ebook price-fixing case – October 17, 2013
U.S.A. v. Apple: Judge issues injunction against Apple in ebooks antitrust case; largely in line with what DOJ wanted – September 6, 2013
U.S.A. v. Apple: Judge Denise Cote says Apple needs third-party supervision after ‘blatant’ ebook price fixing – August 28, 2013
Incompetent Obama’s feckless DOJ persecuted Apple and emboldened Amazon to an even greater degree than before.
There a few things as delicious as Dems/Libs/Progs who get screwed over by the very idiots they backed and for whom they blindly voted.
People are finally starting to wake up from their 5+ year delusional state:
Plurality of Americans now say George W. Bush’s administration more competent than Obama’s – Anderson Robbins Research (D) / Shaw & Company Research (R) poll, Jun 1-3, 2014
that’s because there isn’t any difference between the two.
Sigh! If only we could have your noble and beautiful self as president.
Yehh, that’s the ticket. Yehhh, botvijerk for Pres., First for VP, and Superior for AG. What a paradise that would be.
sure would be!… you would be my first cabinet appointment: Secretary of Hypocrisy, Obsession & Boobing.
I am not an American. Can you help me?
Is Boobing playing endlessly with a hot woman’s breasts?
If so, I want to get a Green Card.
Unfortunately, no. In this context, boobs are whining, poor-me malcontents, Normally they are also marked with a notably low intelligence quotient.
As usual, your retort is completely empty. You think people here are too stupid to realize called me a hypocrite in no way addresses or negates the validity of my point.
This is a pattern with you. If someone makes a point against what you say – whether it’s something about Apple or counter to your manner – I don’t think you EVER address the points.
All you do is, at best, try to deflect with irrelevant side-stepping, or, at worst, go into your all too frequent “shut the fuck up”, “fuck you” and the like.
You’re a nasty, shrivel-hearted little man. As has been said before, you are a “cancer on this forum”.
oh I think naming you Secretary of Hypocrisy, Whining and Boobing is a quite valid point, Cocoa Boy.
@Superior Being
A plurality of Americans also say that being obscenely obese is just fine and WalMart is a swell place to shop.
Walmart once a week has everything I need at the lowest price.
You got a problem with that?
Walmart.. where to start? one of Americas richest and most profitable companies. largest “employer” in the US of A! yay, right?! not so fast. its employees barely make a living wage. the majority are on one or more forms of government assistance. Walmart can afford to pay their employees a living wage (and then some). Walmart doesn’t do that. what it does do is have the American tax payer foot the bill. American citizens pay Walmart employees while Walmart reaps record profits. it doesn’t end there—Walmart, apparently because they are so amazing, receives corporate annual tax breaks equalling billions. and guess who pays for that?
I suppose it would be much better to support America’s #2 employer, YUM! Brands (Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell), or #3 McDonalds, because they pay such high wages by comparison. Oh, but they could afford to pay more too, just cut their ad budget in half, right?
Bizlaw, this is an argument that is SO poor it doesn’t even rise to the level of being able to be called specious. Bringing up two other companies that don’t pay great wages does NOTHING to address or counter the point about Walmart.
Bring back the Golden Age of Bush – when the economy was great and an age of peace lay upon the planet.
Love the /s
At least W. was smart enough not to trade five mass murders for one sniveling traitorous deserter.
I know, I know, I’m a “racist.”
I much prefer American’s enemies cowering in fear of our president vs. laughing at him publicly.
“Dealing with Obama is like playing chess with a pigeon. The pigeon knocks over all the pieces, craps on the board, then struts around like it won the game.” – Russian President Vladimir Putin
According to the articles below, Bush released a lot more prisoners from Guantanamo than Obama and probably would have done the same as Obama in this case.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jun/18/steny-hoyer/hoyer-correct-500-guantanamo-detainees-were-releas/
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/06/03/3444366/former-bush-official-blasts-gop-bush-would-have-agreed-to-bergdahl-swap/
A “detainee” is not equivalent to a Taliban commander. The detainees that Bush released were nobody; many were kids. Obama released the worst of the worst — and he released FIVE of them! And Obama did it over the objections of Congress and the Pentagon (Did Bush do that? Answer: no). Then Obama had the traitor’s father come to the White House to praise Allah!
There is no comparison between Bush’s releases and Obama’s slap-in-America’s-face release of top terrorists.
Thanks for trying but your BS relativism doesn’t cut it.
Obama is a criminal.
Wasted post. Facts never penetrate the liberal bunker.
/s
That’s funny! At least I provided some links with facts. I don’t see any facts in your post or George’s, just opinions.
And by the way, I am not a liberal. I used to be a republican until Bush and the war in Iraq came along. I am now an independent.
Exactly why I was thinking….an I also was a registered Republican until Bush (& then Palin and the Tea Party idiocy) came along to spew lies and fear.
Now also a registered Independent, though I’ll admit I do mostly vote for Democrats now…
If you read it on Politifact or THINKPROGRESS, it *must* be true. Those aren’t left leaning at all….
If Bush would have made the prisoner swap, he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to host a Rose Garden celebration to claim victory for a traitor.
” much prefer Americas enemies cowering in fear of our president vs. laughing at him publicly.”
Like the cowering enemies who flew Jets into the world trade center?
Dishonest accusation.
Psychopaths fear no one.
I’ll have another Chianti.
No, Bush IS a mass murderer… with his stupid, completely unnecessary wars that have caused considerable civilian casualties and unnecessary deaths and maimings of Americans.
..as continued by the current Liar-In-Chief.
Current Afghan “war” casualties under Bush: 575
Under the The Anointed One, Obama Messiah: 1620
…and counting.
Obama! Obama! Obama!
Sean, you’re simply too stupid to live.
botvijerk, I’ve had maybe a couple of people strongly disagree with my stance against your poisonous shit. However, we see many people telling you, over, and over and over, that they are sick of you.
What about Obama Messiah’s extension of The Patriot Act? What is your answer? How do you defend your messiah now?
..one last thing, Cocoa Boy, truth isn’t a popularity contest. I’d prefer to be right than be “popular” with a blinded, sycophantic puke such as yourself.
But…you’re doing neither.
…but what is your answer to the content of my posts? They are empirical data in complete contradiction of your homo-erotic-dullard-obsession with Obama Messiah?
Which content?
1. The astounding news that Obama serves the elite? Wow! Incredible analysis! We all know that, you pathetic dope. You offer no insight.
2. Or the content where you presume I think Obama is great? That is, in fact, utterly off the mark, just another of your frothing ravings. The fact that I’m sick of you going on and on and on and on and on about Obama doesn’t mean I think he’s great. I’m just sick of your obsession and your bringing it up at the drop of a hat with the slimmest of reasons – or none at all.
oh. you just worship The Messiah, Cocoa Boy…you’ll think of a way to defend him, because you are incapable of critical thinking.
“oh. you just worship The Messiah”
It takes a special pathology to presume you know what is going on inside someone else’s head.
You are so wrong, it’s not even laughable — it’s just pathetic.
what is in your head is what scientist’s call a vacuum.
that all ya’ got Cocoa Boy?
So why do you come here being “right”? Do you have a goal? Do you want to influence people, or are you just a sick fuck getting your jollies thinking, “Oh, look at me. I’m so right. I’m wonderful”. Or are you just an aged schoolyard bully, whose only way to feel good about himself is to shit on others?
IF you actually want to influence anyone, it should be very, very plain to you that you are not succeeding — and that you never will.
Most responses to you are very negative. NO-ONE is going to persuaded with an manner that is essentially, “Here’s a more positive and constructive thought, you stupid, pathetic fuck”, whether it’s about Apple, how to run a country, or how to live a good life.
Imagine talking to a boss like that about some brilliant idea you have for improving the company. Your boss won’t hear anything. It’s just be, “blah, blah, blah, you ignorant fuck.” To which the response will, of course, be, “You fired.”
Or imagine talking to some 300lb biker like that. You’re going to get your teeth caved in – or worse.
I’m tending to think you don’t actually talk to people like that face to face… because the consequences would be too emotionally, financially and physically dangerous.
Nobody wants to listen to someone who is so blazingly arrogant, belligerent, rude and disrespectful. Calling people stupid fucks and so on, as you so frequently do, or pontificating in your Holy Writ manner, is not going to get you one inch closer to your goal of influence (if you have it) — EVER.
I personally think you are so twisted with hatred and poison that you are incapable of calmly making a rational point backed up with well laid out thought. IF you want to EVER move even a tiny distance closer to influencing anyone, prove us all wrong by simply making your points with zero name-calling, swearing or insults.
And if you don’t have an actual goal of influencing, if you just get your self-referential jollies off with your bombastic pontificating… well, that is just pathetic – and perverted.
“bombastic pontificating”..that would perfectly describe your above drivel.
As usual, you say NOTHING to address the points.
In essence:
Why are you here?
What is your goal?
Are you willing to stop being a poisonous jerk?
Sean, you’re mentally ill, the best I can do is just ignore you.
No, the best you can do is stop being a pompous and poisonous jerk.
Those numbers stink. I wonder why…?
Oh, that’s right….it’s because you just pulled them out of your ass.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/obamavsbush
Obama’s “good war” in Afghanistan is much better, isn’t it?
Obama has spent $488 billion on the war in Afghanistan. Bush only spent $162 billion.
1500 American troops died in Afghanistan under Obama. 575 died under Bush.
Obama has already signaled that he has no intention of winning the war in Afghanistan. Bush won in Iraq but Obama is doing his best to turn it into a loss.
Please stop.
You are torturing the leftists and should be brought up on charges for speaking the truth and hurting their feelings.
Not allowed, no way Jose.
Call your mother and apologize for what you did today.
/s
OMIGOD….you think bush actually won the war in Iraq? That’s pretty funny.
He never won anything. Not even the presidency. His Florida governor brother and daddy made sure he got it, though.
Wow, talk about conspiracy theories.
That would be Reagan.
Public school education never ceases to amaze me.
Oh, and don’t forget how scrumptious it is when the Neo-Cons take over the Republican party and turn it into a baboon zoo. Real Conservatives are either in tears or tearing their hair out. The coup of the crazies; The coop of the cuckoos.
To hell with both US political parties. It’s time for SANE parties instead.
Right, Fwhatever…everyone who thinks differently than you is blind. It must be nice to be omniscient.
What a load of crap! This strange idea of vengeance/justice that you espouse make no sense in the context of the welfare of this country. We are all adversely impacted by the idiocy on both sides of the political spectrum. If you care to browse through the last few decades of history, you will find plenty of stuff worse than this particular situation on both sides.
Fortunately, Amazon is pulling a Microsoft, so enamored with its power that the upper management feels emboldened to publicly wield it like a weapon. That kind of hubris will end up getting Amazon in much bigger trouble than Apple has experienced to date.
Nice way to side-track a perfectly good topic and herd comments over a cliff. Why don’t you all go find a political blog where you can sling your stuff, instead of spoiling this one ? Most of us who come here would really appreciate it. Totally agree with Sean’s post below given at 1:35 am.
“Amazon raised eyebrows last week saying that if customers are inconvenienced by its battle with the book publisher, they should buy Hachette’s books elsewhere.”
“Pardon the inconvenience while we abuse the monopoly power gifted to us by the U.S. government on your dime.”
Watch the DoJ come swooping down to protect American consumers from the greedy corporate interests!
Any day now…
Spread the word – Bilderberger Bezos’ Amazon is the enemy of the little people.
Jeff Bozzo has some sort of a megalomaniac complex!
Get more and more clear everyday !
Yeah, Bozzo wasn’t satisfied working to drive brick and mortar stores into oblivion, he had to have the Washington Post (the paper once thought of as being ‘liberal’ but in reality has been CIA) too.
you’re pretty sharp for a Hooterville native.
who watches that shit anyway?
Lots of folks !
And some of us oinkers, too.
yeah, I’m with ya, bro. Whoops! Slipped on my lunch!!!
well, okay. give my kindest regards to Mr. Haney.
Will do. I think he’s working for Amazon these days.
ps..I hope I did not hurt your feelings with that earlier post. I know you are a true artist, your masterpiece,”Nude At A Filling Station” that was unjustly banned, is a tribute to your genius and your deserved sobriquet, “Porky Picasso.”
No harm, no foul.
you are a porcine prince.
Well, many more people watch Stewart / Colbert tandem than listen to Limbaugh / Beck stuff (not to mention that broadcasters much prefer the Stewart/Colbert audience of the average age of 39 than Limbaugh/Beck audience aged at 67). CBS is banking that Colbert will bring that coveted younger audience (Letterman’s audience’s average age was 57. Advertisers don’t want people above 49…
who listens to that shit either?
Steve Jack, apparently (of MDN). Very often, he quotes Limbaugh, and whenever an article appears, he doesn’t miss a chance to highlight how he’s the highest rated talk radio (or at least was).
It is like saying the best selling vinyl album of 2013 is Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”. Correct, but doesn’t quite say much (if anything) about what is popular today in music.
well, I don’t.
Stephen Colbert is not one to back down, and after he takes over as host of the Tonight Show, he’ll have an even bigger anti-bully pulpit. Back the hell off, Bezos.
NBC Tonight Show – Jimmy Fallon
CBS Late Night – Stephen Colbert
Both on at 11:30 pm
Yeah, my fact-checker was at lunch 🙂
even Babe Ruth struck-out occasionally, keep battin’.
When will congress send Bezos a letter and demand him to go to Washington to testify before a congressional hearing?!!! tick…tock…tick…tock…
Testifying before congress rarely results in anything but filling air time on C-Span
As soon as he cuts his campaign contributions to them.
I’m thinking that Apple will ultimately win this appeal. I am also thinking DOJ will be investigating this.
Part of the problem with this kind of investigation is the DOJ is understaffed.
Current job openings for DOJ employees:
Paralegal Specialist
13 US Department of Justice Salaries
$54,126
Attorney
12 US Department of Justice Salaries
$125,394
Paralegal
10 US Department of Justice Salaries
$53,609
Trial Attorney
9 US Department of Justice Salaries
$134,765
Special Agent
6 US Department of Justice Salaries
$114,333
Legal Assistant
5 US Department of Justice Salaries
$42,384
IT Specialist
4 US Department of Justice Salaries
$90,637
Senior Trial Attorney
4 US Department of Justice Salaries
$144,750
Assistant United States Attorney
4 US Department of Justice Salaries
$118,275
Attorney Advisor
3 US Department of Justice Salaries
$86,123
Program Analyst
3 US Department of Justice Salaries
$88,333
Assistant U S Attorney
3 US Department of Justice Salaries
$95,333
Clerk
2 US Department of Justice Salaries
$30,222
Budget Analyst
2 US Department of Justice Salaries
$55,963
Section Chief
2 US Department of Justice Salaries
$158,022
yeah, they’re understaffed and underfunded all right.
oh yeah: Eric Holder Net Worth is $11.5 Million.
Nothing like facts silencing the clueless.
I’m not so sure that this is as simple an issue as the article portrays. The book publishers are monopolies too – you can’t buy colbert or Harry Potter from anyone else, after all. So it is one monopoly going after another.
Hardly comparable, authors contract with a publisher by mutual consent, free choice.
That’s the most ridiculous statement I’ve heard. The book publisher who signed JK Rowling was simply smarter than the others (I believe she was turned down by dozens of publishers first). And there’s no monopoly, just a distributor with an exclusive product. That’s not a monopoly.
Speaking of fact checking, almost all of the publishers’ and Apple’s exposure to financial liability–thus the pressure that caused all the publishers to settle, leaving Apple to fight alone–comes from the suits brought by most of the states. The great majority of those suits were filed by Republican Attorneys General. This is bipartisan madness, and I don’t know why there isn’t more screaming at the state officials, who are theoretically more responsive to their constituents. We need to place the blame where it is due, and everywhere it is due.
MDN — Please just delete bovijerk’s incessant shit… and my gentle and insightful retorts to it.
Your detailed psychoanalysis also involves a fair share of personal attacks.
Buh-bye.
Like a schoolyard bully who punches people in the face, and then, one day, get’s punched back, there is a world of difference between botvijerk’s verbal “punching” and and my punching back.
If I stop, botvijerk will just continue shitting on anybody and everybody.
If botvijerk stops his crap, I, on the other hand, will have nothing further to say to him.
Very, very different.
jeez, you’re mentally ill.
As always, you write NOTHING to address the actual points. You merely attempt an empty deflection by name-calling – your standard behavior.
Can you EVER actually address a point with a simply reply… with logic… and without obscenity or name-calling?
You traitorous, intolerent POS.
If “people” like you and 2000 whatever would help to solve our problems, we would all be better off.
Instead, you think your dog food is better, and anyone who doesn’t eat it deserves to die, you pathetic POS.
Look in the mirror, asshole. YOU are the problem.
We are a UNITED States, not a “I don’t like it, so FUCK YOU” Nation. Get a pair of balls and help solve the problem, not condemn it.
Oops.
Forgot an extra FUCK YOU MacDailyNews, for allowing this kind of comments allowed on your “Mac” website.
You are the worst of all…
heh.
you misspelled intolerant.
…you spelled “fuck” right, though.
Sorry to read you are off the mark. If you are righteously claiming higher ground over Botty while ignoring inconvenient facts that prove otherwise, well it is what it is.
Dogma is for people that never heard the term critical thinking.
Nicely stringing a few words together without saying anything.
Using the word “dogma” is irrelevant.
Saying I have never heard the term critical thinking is meaningless.
And what inconvenient facts?
The facts are:
1. If I stop, botvijerk will just continue shitting on anybody and everybody.
2. If botvijerk stops his crap, I, on the other hand, will have nothing further to say to him.
These are very, very different behaviors.
How about both of you take it somewhere else and STFU here?
“Gentle and insightful retorts.”
Yeah, and I can keep my doctor.
Went over your head. That was a joke.
Nothing goes over my head, sonny.
I have observed that, sahib 🙂
MDN – Please delete all the irrelevant shit on this page… and every other page, from now on. (I include my posts in that.)
DARN! #MyStupidGovernment prosecuted the WRONG company. Figures.
I came across MDN for the first time several weeks and started following the articles, and then the commentary. That ends now. This thread is the sorriest piece of shite that I’ve seen rivaling the worst of the right-wing (and a few left-wing) echo chambers. Good luck, USA, with “citizens” like these, you’re going to need an entire fleet of lorry-loads of luck to make it to 2020 without imploding under the weight of these petty, vindictive, self righteous, gormless mingers.
Splendid putdown, with a nice whip in the lingo. Could use your talents here, please rethink your departure