Ever wondered about the value pricing of e-books on your iPad? So has the European Commission.
The Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into many of the world's biggest publishers, all sold by Apple in its e-books store.
It wants to find out whether international publishers Hachette Livre, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Macmillan Germany have, with the help of Apple, engaged in anti-competitive practices affecting the sale of e-books in the European Economic Area in breach of EU antitrust rules.
The Commission is specifically looking at price-fixing that could shut down competition in the EU and EEA. The Commission also has concerns that the companies' practices may breach EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels.
The investigation follows unannounced inspections in March this year, of several e-book publishers across the EU member states.
The UK Office of Fair Trading has investigated in partnership with the EC.
The OFT had closed its investigation before today's EC formal antitrust proceedings were launched due to "administrative priority".