French trade calls for fixed prices for e-books
<p>The presidents of the French publishers, booksellers and cultural product distributors associations have written to Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand urging the government to introduce a parliamentary bill to extend fixed book pricing to e-books.</p><p>Print book prices are already fixed under the Lang Law. The letter, signed by Serge Eyrolles for the Syndicat National de l’Edition (SNE), Benoît Bougerol for the Syndicat de la Librairie Française (SLF) and Laurent Fiscal for the Syndicat des Distributeurs de Loisirs Culturels (SDLC), said that a new law should cover e-books where the content is identical to their print version.</p><p>Other e-books would be covered by an agency arrangement, the letter added.</p><p>Last January, the French Competition Authority recommended waiting a year or two before legislating on the nascent e-book market so as not to hamper its development. But a report, presented to Mitterrand at the beginning of the year and endorsed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said that a fixed price law was urgent for e-books. </p><p>Officials in the ministry’s new media and cultural industries division have also confirmed that the fixed price issue was urgent, the associations’ letter added.</p>