The Bookseller.com

4th July 2009

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Amazon's Bezos tackles French discount law

23.01.08 Barbara Casassus

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is attempting to undermine a 25-year anti-discount law in France and has urged French book buyers to join him in ending the restrictive practice.

The Versailles court near Paris ruled in December that the practice of offering free book deliveries on internet book orders violated the 1981 Lang Law, capping discounts to 5% of retail book prices.
Amazon.fr has decided to appeal the court judgment ordering it to stop the practice or pay a fine of 1,000 euros a day to the French Booksellers Association, Syndicat de la Librairie Française (SLF).

Amazon has also decided to pay the fine rather than comply with the court decision, and is trying to rally customers to the free delivery cause. Amazon founder and c.e.o. Bezos sent an email in French to customers in France, asking them to sign a protest petition. If Amazon loses the case, "France will be the only countrty in the world where Amazon's free deliveries will be declared illegal," he declared.

The SLF has sent the official notification of the ruling to online booksellers FNAC and Chapitre.com, asking them to come into line with the law. If they continue to offer free book deliveries for online sales, the SLF board will decide on 2nd Feb whether to take further action, SLF president Benoit Bougerol said.

The SLF has won every case on the issue so far. Last June, the Paris appeal court ruled against France Télécom subisidary Alapage.com for offering free book deliveries and gift vouchers, and awarded the SLF 40,000 euros in damages. Alapage has taken the case to the Supreme Court.

"Amazon.fr believes that providing customers with free shipping on books is entirely consistent with current French law and its objective of providing greater access to French cultural products," a spokesperson for the retailer said. "Thousands of book readers have already told us that free shipping is important to provide them with access to French cultural products. Based on this, we filed our appeal to the court's decision and will continue to vigorously defend their right to free shipping."

International Barbara Casassus amazon Jeff Bezos France