We’re Not the Only Ones Disturbed by the Washington State Attorney General Letter…

Hi Angela,

I saw you posted excerpts from the letter the Washington State Attorney General sent out. I received one, too. I must say, the part I found most disturbing about the letter was not included in your excerpt. The Attorney General said:

“Some of the complaints that we have received state that Amazon is refusing to sell books printed by Lightning Source or other POD publishers, and will only sell POD books printed by BookSurge.” Then they go on to quote Amazon’s “Open Letter to Interested Parties,” which states that anyone can sell through Amazon, as long as you take part in their Advantage Program. (Of course the “Advantage” is to Amazon only, since they get to rake in fees, and create more hassles and expenses for us to have the priviledge of selling on their website–a sure way to discourage using other POD services.)

What disturbs me about this preliminary legal opinion is that it seems to imply Amazon is not monopolizing the print and distribution of POD books on their site, since they offer the Advantage Program. While this is only Washington’s opinion, and the matter is going to federal antitrust agencies, I’m concerned they will come to the same conclusion. How can we fight this technicality? I hope others out there with legal experience can come up with strong counter arguments.

If you feel this issue is relevant and needs to be addressed by those opposing Amazon, I hope you’ll post it on your website, or draw it to the attention of those who can make a difference in this antitrust issue.

Sincerely,

Jennette Green
http”//www.jennettegreen.com