Amazon

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday said it is suing Amazon over the way the retail giant lets kids use real money to buy “coins,” “acorns” and other digital goods on devices like the Kindle Fire. The lawsuit, filed in Seattle, comes after Amazon defiantly stated that it would take its chances in federal court Continue Reading →

Amazon has found itself on tense terms with publishers as it begins to really use its size and power to gain favorable terms in distribution deals, notably with the major publisher Hachette. Now, the BBC and trade publication The Bookseller are reporting that Amazon is attempting to introduce some strong new terms in its contracts Continue Reading →

For months, authors have complained about being caught in the middle of a very public spat between Amazon, the world’s largest bookseller, and publisher Hachette. Amazon has aggressively worked to secure better contract terms with the publisher, and in the process has turned to controversial “negotiation tactics” like halting pre-orders for upcoming Hachette books, cutting Continue Reading →

Google is the undisputed king of search in all but one lucrative and vital category: Product searches. Over the past decade, Amazon has transformed itself from a seller of books online to the place Americans turn to when they want to search and buy just about anything — from diapers to flat-screen TVs. In some Continue Reading →

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants Amazon to update some of its policies regarding in-app purchases, but the retail giant is having none of it. According to documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal the company is facing a lawsuit that would require it to pay hefty fines and dramatically alter its record keeping and Continue Reading →

As Amazon and Hachette’s contract dispute wears on, Amazon has had little to say publicly about it: The company released an unattributed statement on the Kindle forums at the end of May, but until now no executive from the company had commented. That changed Tuesday, when Russ Grandinetti, Amazon’s VP of Kindle content, gave a Continue Reading →

Brick-and-mortar book stores have clearly been on the decline for a while — just look at Barnes & Noble’s rocky finances. However, there’s now some tangible evidence that the pendulum has swung in favor of internet-based sales. BookStats estimates that US publishers made more money from online orders and e-books in 2013 ($7.54 billion) than Continue Reading →

Amazon recently unveiled its long-awaited smartphone, the Fire Phone. Built around the Amazon Prime experience, the Fire Phone runs the same heavily tweaked version of Android found on the Kindle Fire –that means it has a lot of apps, but not every app in Google Play – most notably no Snapchat or YouTube. The phone’s Continue Reading →

Amazon has been tipped to launch a local services marketplace this year to rival the likes of Thumbtack, Angie’s List and Yelp. Now one part of that effort looks like it’s about to go live: the company is now rolling out a food takeout service, “a direct competitor to GrubHub, Seamless and DeliveryHero,” in the Continue Reading →

The Federal Aviation Administration has said that online shopping powerhouse Amazon may not employ drones to deliver packages, at least not anytime soon. The revelation was buried in a FAA document (PDF) unveiled Monday seeking public comment on its policy on drones, or what the agency calls “model aircraft.” The FAA has maintained since at Continue Reading →