Author sues Amazon for alleged monopoly in audiobook market

Amazon is the target of a class-action lawsuit proposed by author CD Reiss, who accuses the technology giant of adopting techniques and practices allowing it to exercise unilateral control over the audiobook market. This involves charging higher fees and limiting the scope of non-exclusive titles.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges that Amazon penalizes authors who distribute audiobooks on other platforms. These penalties, as mentioned by news.bloomberglow.com, would include denial of promotional opportunities and lowering of search rankings.

According to Reiss, Amazon's ownership of Audible, the world's largest audiobook retailer, gives it an unfair advantage. She claims that Amazon charges authors at least 60% of the sale price of audiobooks for distribution services, with even higher fees for non-exclusive titles.

The proposed class action seeks to represent authors who contracted with Amazon for audiobook distribution in the United States after June 13, 2020 and paid fees of 60% or more. Reiss also aims to represent a subclass of authors who paid fees of 75 percent or more.

Reiss claims Amazon's conduct violates antitrust laws and seeks class certification, damages, injunctive relief and legal fees. Amazon already faces other antitrust lawsuits, including one from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission alleging monopolistic practices in online marketplaces.