Germanys book industry said Tuesday it had complained to the countrys competition watchdog about Internet giant Amazon, accusing it of using blackmail to gain discounts from publishers. The US giant has been delaying delivery of printed books from Swedens media and publishing group Bonnier, which has 16 publishers in Germany, since early May, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association said. It claimed that Amazons aim was to negotiate bigger price cuts on the purchase of e-books which the association put at up to 50 percent, a figure for which it cited media reports. Bonnier, which owns German publishing houses such as Ullstein and Carlsen, has not confirmed it is in any dispute with Amazon, nor the reported details.
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