Michiganians share $4.3M in e-book price-fix deal

LANSING (AP) -- Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says state residents will receive about $4.3 million as part of a nationwide settlement in an e-book price-fixing case. Schuette said Wednesday that the state has reached an agreement with Penguin to settle allegations that it and other publishers "illegally conspired ... to increase the retail price of e-books." He says the antitrust case has recovered $164 million for consumer nationwide affected by price-fixing in the e-book market. He says Michigan consumers will share about $4.3 million from Penguin, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Holtzbrinck Publishers. Schuette says the deal with Penguin requires approval from a federal court in New York. He says a related case against Apple Inc. is scheduled for trial in June. Published: Fri, May 24, 2013