FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :  Wednesday, October 17, 2012
CONTACT:   Sara Rabern (605)773-3215   

 
E-Book Purchasers to Begin Receiving Settlement Credit Notifications 
 

PIERRE, S.D.-   Attorney General Marty Jackley today advised South Dakota residents who may have purchased certain eBooks that the notice process is underway in a $69 million national settlement with publishers announced earlier this year.
 
“This notification process is the first step in returning money to consumers who were overcharged for their past eBook purchases,” said Jackley.
 
 Consumers who purchased eBooks through Apple or Sony should have received emails showing the sender as “State Attorneys General E-book Settlement,” with the email address Administrator@vertismail.com. These are legitimate emails authorized by the Attorney General. The Notices provide information regarding the settlement.
 
Additional information about the settlement and the credits can be found at www.EBookAGSettlements.com or by calling toll-free 866-621-4153 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday.

If the Court gives final approval to the settlements, consumers who bought one or more qualifying eBooks from April 1, 2010, through May 21, 2012, and who follow the instructions received will receive a credit into their eBook retailer account or a check.

In the September settlement with State Attorneys General, Hachette Book Group (USA), HarperCollins Publishers L.L.C., and Simon & Schuster Inc. agreed to pay a total of more than $69 million to consumers to resolve antitrust claims of an alleged unlawful conspiracy to fix the prices of electronic books. The publishers have also agreed to change the way they price eBooks going forward.
 
Litigation continues against Apple, Inc., Holtzbrinck Publishers L.L.C. d/b/a MacMillian and Penguin Group (U.S.A.), Inc. A trial is currently scheduled for June 2013.
 
 

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