CHICAGO — Kindle e-readers can expect to receive refunds on past e-book purchases and see future e-book prices drop — if a judge approves legal settlements with publishers accused of fixing prices, Amazon.com announced yesterday.
Amazon wrote in e-mails that Kindle owners could be refunded between 30 cents and $1.32 for every e-book purchased between April 2010 and May 2012.
Each book must be from one of three publishers who have agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing them of inflating e-book prices.
But the settlements, the e-mails note, are subject to court approval, and a hearing is scheduled for February.
If approved, the settlements would also limit the publishers’ ability to set e-book prices, which should lead to lower costs for Kindle users, according to Amazon.
“We think these settlements are a big win for customers and look forward to lowering prices on more Kindle books in the future,” Amazon told its customers via e-mail.
The settlements came about after the US Justice Department accused Apple and five publishers last April of illegally colluding to hold down prices as part of an effort to overcome Amazon’s dominance of the e-book market.
Three of the publishers — News Corp.’s HarperCollins, the CBS Corporation’s Simon & Schuster and Lagardère SCA’s Hachette Book Group — eventually opted to settle. News Corp. owns The Post.