“Bottom-line: the EU thinks the “agency model” constitutes illegal price-fixing.”
John Gruber of Daring Fireball, commenting on this story from CNNMoney.
I’d say the possible reason for targeting Apple in this case is that Apple is also a platform vendor upon which competing eBook retailers wish to build platforms, and indeed have done so, before Apple. Apple’s accused collusion with publishers therefore additionally gives Apple a significant lever against competitors in the eReader app space. Just look at what they’ve done to Kindle, B&N, and Kobo.
Remember: if it weren’t for the Agency Model, all those would have been able to run decently enough via Apple IAP, albeit quite likely with higher prices. Apple eventually decided to allow us to charge more in our app— in the full knowledge that the deals they’d helped shepherd into the publishing industry would prevent us from actually doing so.
