Money Back For E-Book Purchases

The following is being issued by Kinsella Media, LLC, notice provider for the State Attorneys General and Class Plaintiffs' E-book Settlements.

A Settlement has been reached with Apple in antitrust lawsuits filed by State Attorneys General and Class Plaintiffs about the prices of electronic books ("E-books").  The lawsuits claim and the Court found there was a conspiracy involving five top U.S. publishers and Apple to fix and raise retail prices of E-books. Settlements were reached with publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster in 2012, and with Macmillan and Penguin in 2013.

Apple denies that it did anything wrong and is appealing the Court's decision.  Whether consumers receive any money, and how much, will depend on the outcome of that appeal.  Apple could pay up to $400 million.

Millions of consumers received emails or postcards with information about their legal rights and options. Emails are being sent directly by some E-book retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo, who are participating in the notification process as a courtesy to their customers.  Consumers who purchased E-books through Apple or Sony received emails showing the sender as: "State Attorneys General and Class E-book Settlement," Administrator@qgemail.com.  These are legitimate emails authorized by the Attorneys General and Class Plaintiffs. 

People who bought E-books are included in the Settlements if: (1) they purchased an eligible E-book that was published by Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan or Penguin (as well as certain other names – "imprints" – under which these publishers also publish E-books); (2) the purchase was made from April 1, 2010 through May 21, 2012; and (3) at the time of purchase they were a resident of a) any U.S. State or Commonwealth, b) the District of Columbia, or c) one of five U.S. Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa).

A full list of the publishers and imprints included is available at www.EbookLawsuits.com. 

Anyone who thinks they may be included but has not received notice should visit www.EbookLawsuits.com or call 1-866-686-9333 to learn more about their legal rights and options.  For those consumers who must file a claim in order to receive payment, Claim Forms must be filed online or postmarked by October 31, 2014.

Those included in the Settlements have a number of legal rights and options.  They should visit www.EbookLawsuits.com or call 1-866-686-9333 to get a Detailed Notice and learn more.