Owners of Amazon.com’s Kindle e-readers will receive refunds on past e-book purchases from April 2010 thru May 2012. Â Refunds will be between 30 cents and $1.32. Â Amazon sees e-book prices drop if a judge approves legal settlements with publishers accused of fixing prices, according to the Internet retailer.
Amazon told Kindle owners in emails on Saturday that they could receive a refund if the books were published by three publishers who have agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused them of inflating e-book prices.
- Hachette
- Harper Collins
- Simon & Schuster
The settlements are subject to court approval, and a hearing is scheduled for February. Â If approved, the settlements would also limit the publishers’ ability to set future e-book prices, which should lead to lower costs for Kindle users, according to Amazon.
If the court approves the settlements, the publishers will pay for e-book refunds that will be applied automatically to the Amazon.com accounts of eligible customers. Customers can use the refunds to purchase Kindle books or print books or request a check for the amount of the refund.
Amazon made a point to say
“We think these settlements are a big win for customers and look forward to lowering prices on more Kindle books in the future”
With 5 major book sells involved in this lawsuit Amazon not being one of the them it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming months.