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   iBookstore Customers Receive Ebook Settlement Letters

   Michael E. Cohen

   Users of Apple's iBooks app who have purchased books from Apple's
   online iBookstore have begun to receive email notifications from the
   administrator of the [1]State Attorneys General and Class Counsel
   E-book Settlements. This notice states that Holtzbrinck Publishers,
   LLC, (known as Macmillan) and Penguin Group (USA) Inc. have now joined
   the settlement in the price-fixing suit against five publishers and
   Apple. The publishers have all settled, whereas Apple continues to
   contest the suit (see Adam Engst's discussion of the case in
   '[2]Explaining the Apple Ebook Price Fixing Suit,' 10 July 2013).

   According to the letter, with these additional settlements the fund for
   payments to customers who purchased qualifying ebooks is now $162.25
   million. Anyone who purchased ebooks from the iBookstore between 1
   April 2010 and 21 May 21 2012 is eligible to receive a payment from
   this fund upon court approval of the settlement. That is, almost
   anyone: because of the complexity of the case and complex mix of the
   various parties involved in it, only individuals who are residents of
   the United States (including five territories and the District of
   Columbia) are eligible for payments; libraries, government agencies,
   and corporations, among others, are excluded, as well as those who only
   obtained free books or gifts from the iBookstore. In addition,
   residents of Minnesota, while included among those who are eligible,
   are subject to different terms in the settlement.

   Furthermore, payments will not begin immediately following final
   approval of the settlement in December 2013, assuming it is approved.
   That's because the case is still subject to appeal, and the payments
   will not begin until all appeals are resolved, a process that could
   take months or even years.

   By default, those due to receive payments will receive a credit from
   Apple in their iTunes accounts, although individuals may request
   payment by check instead. Those who wish to receive a check must submit
   the request by 21 October 21 2013; information about how to request a
   check is included in the email message.

   The amount that one might receive as a result of the settlement has not
   yet been established, though estimates are that each purchased New York
   Times bestseller may result in a payment of $3.06; payments for
   non-bestsellers are roughly estimated to be about $0.73 per book.
   Again, for Minnesota residents, amounts may be somewhat different (see
   question 11 of the [3]Frequently Asked Questions at the settlement Web
   site for the details).

References

   1. https://ebooksagsettlements.com/Home.aspx
   2. http://tidbits.com/article/13912
   3. https://ebooksagsettlements.com/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.aspx

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