(AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut authorities are investigating whether Amazon's e-book deals with certain publishers are anticompetitive and violate antitrust laws, state Attorney General William Tong said Thursday.
He said the state attorney general's office has previous taken action against Apple and e-book publishers to protect competition in the marketplace.
Amazon has become the dominant force in print book sales and e-book sales in the U.S.
Tong's office issued a subpoena to Amazon in 2019 requesting documents about the company's dealings with five book publishers: HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan.
The publishers all settled and signed consent decrees prohibiting them from restricting e-book retailers’ ability to set prices.