The European Commission has conducted Tuesday, March 1, a search of publishers in several countries of the European Union on suspicion of price fixing digital books. "We do not name the publishers nor the country because we are only at the beginning of the investigation. We do not blame anybody and we have no proof," said Amelia Torres, spokeswoman the Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia.
According to the website dedicated 01. net, several French publishers, including Albin Michel, Hachette, Gallimard and Flammarion, received the visit of European Commission officials accompanied by officials of the competition in France. The Commission's investigation is in fact the result of an investigation launched in early February by the competition authorities in the United Kingdom because of suspicions of price fixing digital books in Britain.
According to British media, surveys were also conducted in the United States. OPERATION "RADIO-CONTROLLED? For the president of Albin Michel, Francis Esmenard, "this is orchestrated by [the group sales on the Internet] Amazon. They settled in Luxembourg to avoid paying VAT in France and they want to sell books to n any price, as they do in the United States, offering bestsellers at $ 9.90 "(7.20 euros), says the site is 01.
net. The survey also intervenes when the French parliament adopted in early February, a bill on the single price of digital books. The price of the traditional book is fixed by law in France since the 1980s. The Commission agreed at the time that governments can fix the price of the book provided this does not affect trade between Member States.
The digital book is not concerned because it did not exist at the time. But an agreement between publishers to set the price of books is a practice forbidden by EU rules, and may be punishable by heavy fines if proven. 
According to the website dedicated 01. net, several French publishers, including Albin Michel, Hachette, Gallimard and Flammarion, received the visit of European Commission officials accompanied by officials of the competition in France. The Commission's investigation is in fact the result of an investigation launched in early February by the competition authorities in the United Kingdom because of suspicions of price fixing digital books in Britain.
According to British media, surveys were also conducted in the United States. OPERATION "RADIO-CONTROLLED? For the president of Albin Michel, Francis Esmenard, "this is orchestrated by [the group sales on the Internet] Amazon. They settled in Luxembourg to avoid paying VAT in France and they want to sell books to n any price, as they do in the United States, offering bestsellers at $ 9.90 "(7.20 euros), says the site is 01.
net. The survey also intervenes when the French parliament adopted in early February, a bill on the single price of digital books. The price of the traditional book is fixed by law in France since the 1980s. The Commission agreed at the time that governments can fix the price of the book provided this does not affect trade between Member States.
The digital book is not concerned because it did not exist at the time. But an agreement between publishers to set the price of books is a practice forbidden by EU rules, and may be punishable by heavy fines if proven.
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