Approved Settlements and Distribution of Settlement Benefits in eBooks Canadian Class Actions

TORONTO, May 31, 2024 /CNW/ --

Settlements concerning the prices of eBooks sold in Canada have been approved. Anyone who purchased eBooks in Canada from April 1, 2010 to March 10, 2017 may be eligible to receive compensation.

THE SETTLEMENTS

Class action lawsuits were initiated against Apple Inc. and Apple Canada Inc. ("Apple"), alongside various publishers of eBooks (the "Publishers") asserting a conspiracy to fix, maintain, increase, or control the price of eBooks sold in Canada from April 1, 2010 to March 10, 2017.

Significant Settlements totalling CDN $15.175 million were reached with Apple and the Publishers and approved by the Courts. The Settlements are a compromise of disputed claims and not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the defendants.

Approximately $10 million is earmarked for distribution for the benefit of individuals who purchased eBooks in Canada from April 1, 2010 to March 10, 2017 (the "Settlement Class Members"), governed by a comprehensive Distribution Protocol that was also approved by the Courts.

WHAT'S NEXT?
A Court-appointed Claims Administrator will oversee the distribution of funds to eligible Settlement Class Members. Some individuals may automatically qualify for compensation based on purchase data provided by cooperating retailers, while others will need to submit a claim by August 29, 2024.

Entitlement to receive proceeds will be determined based on various factors including the number of Eligible eBooks purchased and account activity with retailers iTunes, Kobo, Google, Amazon or Sony.

Eligible eBooks are eBooks published or distributed by Hachette, Harper Collins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster purchased in Canada between April 1, 2010 and March 10, 2017.  eBooks published or distributed by Penguin Random House Canada Limited after December 31, 2014 are not included.

WHAT DO PEOPLE NEED TO DO?

Some Settlement Class Members may have received a notice by email from [email protected] about the Settlements. The email will indicate a person's eligibility based on the records that have been provided to assist with the settlement implementation process. If the email says a person is eligible for compensation, they do not need to do anything else other than to monitor their iTunes Account or Kobo Account.

Settlement Class Members who did not receive the notice by email, will need to submit a claim electronically when the claims process opens on May 31, 2024. Claims need to be submitted no later than August 29, 2024 in order to be considered for payment.

Credits and payments will be issued after the claims process ends and individual entitlements are calculated by the Claims Administrator, which is estimated to be after November 2024.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about the Settlements, the Distribution Protocol, the claims process and the timing of payments or to submit a claim if you are required to do so, please visit www.eBooksCanadianSettlement.ca or contact the Claims Administrator toll-free at 1-833-398-1863 between 9 am and 5 pm Eastern Time, except on holidays.

DISCLAIMER

This Press Release is a summary only. 

SOURCE Branch MacMaster LLP, Sylvestre Painchaud SENCRL, Strosberg Sasso Sutts LLP, and Berger Montague (Canada) P.C.

CONTACTS: For British Columbia residents: Charlotte K.B. Harman of Branch MacMaster LLP care of [email protected];For Quebec residents: Normand Painchaud of Sylvestre Painchaud SENCRL care of [email protected]; For all others: Heather Rumble Peterson of Strosberg Sasso Sutts LLP care of [email protected] and Andrew Morganti, Morganti & Co., P.C., [email protected]