On Thursday 19 January, the European Commission said that the measures taken by Amazon subsidiary, Audible and by Apple will reinforce competition in the downloadable audiobook distribution sector in Europe. The agreement reached by Amazon/Audible and Apple follows contact with the Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office.
On 5 January, Audible and Apple agreed to remove all exclusivity obligations governing the supply and distribution of audiobooks. These exclusivity obligations, which predated Amazon's acquisition of Audible in 2008, required Apple to source exclusively from Audible and Audible not to supply music digital platforms other than Apple's iTunes store.
The Commission examined the exclusivity agreement after receiving a complaint from a German association of publishers and booksellers. It opened an investigation on 16 November 2015. (EL)