E-book news from PW

Open Road Acquires E-Reads
In a deal that brings together one of the oldest independent e-book publishers with one of the largest, Open Road Integrated Media has signed an agreement to acquire E-Reads, the digital publisher founded by Richard Curtis in 1999. The purchase, which is set to close April 1, will add more than 1,200 e-books to Open Road’s list. Following completion of the deal, Open Road will publish and distribute the titles through its own platform and the E-Reads Web site will be taken down. more »

Canadian Government Signs E-book Consent Agreements with Four Publishers
After what the government said was an 18-month investigation, Canada’s Competition Bureau has reached consent agreements with four multinational publishers regarding their e-book pricing policies. The agreements resolve the Bureau’s concerns that the four companies—Hachette Book Group Canada, Simon & Schuster Canada, HarperCollins Canada and Macmillan Canada—“engaged in conduct that resulted in reduced competition for e-books in Canada.” As part of the agreement, none of the publishers admitted any wrongdoing. more »