The PS Vita launches across North America on February 22 – for most people.

It seems the exception is a number of Canadian Amazon shoppers, who started getting their Vitas from February 8 after the retailer released the units early by mistake. While the number of prematurely released consoles isn’t known, many users in this Red Flag Deals forum thread have already posted shots of their shiny new Sony slabs, as the rest of the continent inwardly ragefaced with envy.

The users on the site got their shipping notices last week. Consequently, many received their new gadget two weeks or more before the official Vita launch.

While receiving games from online retailers a day or two early is not unusual, getting a brand new console a whole fortnight before launch suggests a hefty slip on Amazon’s part. Could these premature Vitas number in the hundreds? The thousands? The tens of thousands? Nobody knows, but I imagine Sony would like an answer to that.

Alas, the window of opportunity has now slammed shut: Amazon has noted its error and restored the correct February 22 ship date. Are any lucky Canadian Vita owners reading this? Let us know what you make of your gleaming new toy, you jammy swines!

[Red Flag Deals, via Joystiq]

PS Vita Consoles Let Out Early By Amazon.ca is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon Prime, the $79 a year service that gives free 2 day shipping and $1.99 per item one day shipping, will be adding Viacom shows to it’s online video streaming service. They signed an agreement with Viacom to add shows from their multitude of channels such as Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, and TV Land to name a few.

For customers who have a Prime account, you also get free access to thousands of TV shows and movies which somewhat competes with Netflix. If you buy a good amount of stuff, Prime pays for itself over time and the online video streaming service is a nice added bonus.

Via Businessweek:

“This deal with Viacom brings Prime customers and Kindle Fire users thousands of comedies, kids’ shows, reality TV and much more from some of the best cable networks available,” said Brad Beale, director of video content acquisition for Amazon. “We are constantly working to improve the service by adding the shows that our customers enjoy the most.”

“The number of videos bought or rented and the number of customers on Amazon Instant Video, the company’s online streaming service, more than doubled in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, Amazon said last month.”

The e-commerce site has grown massively over the years and has a very large and loyal customer base. Great customer service is key, as they demonstrate, and giving more value to the consumer leads to more sales in the long run. Whether people will soon be watching Jersey Shore or not, well, let’s hope they stay away from that show.

Do you have an Amazon Prime account?

Amazon Prime Customers Will Soon Be Able To Watch Viacom Shows is a post from: The Inquisitr

Now that it’s been leaked that actress Huang Hoang is the woman suing IMDb (international movie database) for revealing her age without her permission, it is now said that the actress has just received a court date for January 7, 2013.

The actress is suing IMDb, the popular movie and professional database for breach of contract, fraud and violation of Washington’s Privacy and Consumer Protection Act. Since the news hit that an actress was suing the site in October, talk of the validity of the nature of the case has been widely discussed on Internet forums.

What’s in question is if the IMDb owner Amazon had the right to publish the actresses age. The most important part of the lawsuit is how the site obtained her age, since Hoang didn’t list it in her information. The actress claims that the site grabbed her information from the credit card she used to sign up with the service. In order to receive all benefits from the site a client needs to purchase an IMDBpro account. Amazon is saying that this speculation is just that, a speculation and has dismissed the claim.

Both sides are going to be participating in a discovery process, which entails collecting all information. This period will last until August, both sides will have to follow up with motions and that will decide if the case goes to trial in the end or if it gets wrapped up in preliminary hearings.

Amazon is claiming that they didn’t use Huang Hoangs information incorrectly, and if they in fact did pull the information from her credit card, they’re saying that it doesn’t go against their privacy act. The terms of their policy state that it uses the information given to the website for, among other things, “improving our site.” The policy terms also links to examples of collected data, including “your name, e-mail address, physical address, zip code, and phone number; your age and gender; the movies and actors you like or dislike; and your general movie preferences.”

Hoang is being represented by John Dozier at Dozier Internet Law while Amazon is with Perkins Coie. The jusge on this case is Marsha Pechman.

What do you think? Is Hoang right for filling the suit? Was Amazon insensitive by releasing the information? Do you think releasing the age of the actress was damaging to her career? Weigh in!

Actress Suing IMDB Gets Court Date is a post from: The Inquisitr

Online retailer Amazon could soon be making the trip to the physical world. Amazon is reportedly planning to open a brick and mortar retail store in Seattle in the next few months.

According to GoodeReader.com, the new Amazon store will focus on the companies growing list of  books from Amazon Exclusives, as well as e-readers and tablets. The Seattle Amazon store will serve as a testing ground for Amazon and may be the first of many across the country.

Forbes reports that this isn’t the first time that a rumor about an Amazon store has circulated around the internet. Rumors about a physical store were started, and proven false, in 2009 and 2010.

Rob Enderle, an analyst with Enderle Group, said that a physical store could be a great idea for Amazon. The store would give people a place to check out Amazon’s eReaders and anything else that Amazon releases. The store would also remind people who don’t do a lot of online shopping that Amazon is a repeatable place to shop.

Enderle said that he expects Amazon to follow the same path as Apple. A few Amazon stores will open in affluent markets that have a lot of foot traffic.

Do you think an Amazon store is coming soon? Would you want to shop at Amazon.

Amazon Brick and Mortar Stores Coming Soon is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon released their fourth quarter results today and, well, it’s easy to see why they waited to announce the news until the day was about over. The e-commerce company’s net income dropped despite revenue increasing.

The company has been expanding and growing which is one of the reasons for the dip. With that said though, they’re still not doing too bad and remain the most popular and flocked to e-commerce site on the planet.

Sales of the Kindle Fire have been very impressive and is carving a nice place for itself in the tablet market. Whether it can keep up with the iPad and the soon to be released iPad 3, that’s another story.

Via Yahoo News:

“Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. said Tuesday that its net income was $177 million, or 38 cents per share, in the three months that ended Dec. 31. That’s down 57 percent from $416 million, or 91 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue grew 35 percent to $17.4 billion. Though it was buoyed by solid holiday sales, the figure fell below the $18.3 billion that analysts polled by FactSet had expected.”

“Amazon’s operating expenses, meanwhile, grew 38 percent to $17.2 billion. The company has been investing heavily in new sales-fulfillment centers so it can grow its business. That has cut into profits all of last year.”

For this quarter, they’re estimating anywhere from $12 Billion to 13.4 Billion in revenue. They also may suffer an operating loss this quarter as well. As with any company that expands, losses are to be had. It’s also said that they’re losing money on each Kindle Fire sold which, even with that the case, they’ll make money back in the long term due to purchases of digital products that earns them 30% of all profits.

How often do you shop at Amazon?

Amazon Net Income Dropped In Fourth Quarter, Stock Down is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you’ve been holding out on picking up the Samsung Galaxy Nexus until the price drops down a bit, Amazon has dropped the price of Google’s flagship Android 4.0 phone to a mere $99.99.

Before you get too excited, there’s one little detail you need to keep in mind: the new low price only applies to new Verizon Wireless customers, and you’ll of course need a new contract to take advantage of the cheap Galaxy Nexus. If you already have an existing contract with Verizon, you’re out of luck.

The price drop on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus comes not even a month after Verizon started selling the phone for $299.99. Amazon’s price drop only applies to Verizon Wireless, however, so don’t expect any cheaper prices on the phone from other carriers just yet.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is, in case you forgot, the first and only phone to come with Google’s latest Android OS, Android 4.0–or Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Nexus packs a 1.2Ghz dual core processor, a front-facing 1.3 MP camera and a 5MP rear camera, 1GB of RAM, and a 4.65-inch 1280 x 720p HD Super AMOLED display.

Source: Amazon

Amazon drops price of Galaxy Nexus to $100 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Should Amazon refuse to sell certain titles of books because some customers find the content offensive? According to Milli Hill of Somerset, United Kingdom, a parenting columnist for Somerset Life Magazine and blogger for The Mule, the answer is a resounding yes.

Hill is the creator of an online petition entitled “Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO: Refuse to carry books which advocate the physical abuse of children.” The petition urges Amazon (both .com and .co.uk) to stop allowing books that purportedly advocate, endorse, and advise parenting techniques that involve the physical abuse of children as a disciplinary technique. Examples of some titles targeted by the petition include To Train Up A Child by Michael and Debi Pearl, Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp, and Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman.

Part of Hill’s argument for having the books removed from sale on Amazon is that such content is “offensive,” which is contrary to Amazon’s Content Guidelines. Furthermore, the petition argues that books that advocate the physical, and possibly abusive, discipline of children could be considered breaking the law:

It may well also be illegal, as it seems to go far beyond the ‘reasonable chastisement’ currently sanctioned by law in the UK, (where this petition originated) and in many US States. Not only is beating on a regular basis with a rod likely to leave a mark, which is illegal in the UK, it is also likely to amount to inhuman or degrading treatment, which is a breach of human rights.

Hill is asking for 15,000 signatures on the petition. Many leading experts in children’s rights, psychology, child development, and religious child maltreatment have already signed the petition.

To garner more support for the petition, The Mule is running a Facebook Action Day campaign today on Friday, January 27, 2012. Amazon has yet to respond to the petition. The Facebook campaign aims to get more signatures for the petition and to increase the pressure on Amazon to take notice.

But should Amazon take notice? Is Hill’s petition beneficial and necessary, an attempt to protect children from abusive disciplinary techniques? Or does the petition amount to censorship, banning the sale of certain books that one group of people considers offensive?

Petition To Remove “Offensive” Books From Amazon, Protecting The Children Or Blatant Censorship? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon is the World’s largest e-commerce site with thousands and thousands of sellers from all across the globe. What makes the site such a great place to shop is, for one, they have really great customer service which has pushed them to be one of the top online retailers.

Secondly, their ratings and review system allows customers to shop the site and buy in confidence. Unfortunately, as reviews become more and more important when shopping, that means more merchants are trying to game the system in order for more people to buy their products.

A seller by the name of VIP Deals is one of those.

Via The New York Times:

“VIP Deals, which specializes in leather tablet cases and stun guns, denied it was quietly offering the deals. “You are totally off base,” a representative named Monica wrote in an e-mail.”

“But three customers said in interviews that the offer was straightforward. Searching for a protective case for their new Kindle Fire, they came upon the VIP page selling a cover for under $10 plus shipping (the official list price was $59.99). When the package arrived it included a letter extending an invitation “to write a product review for the Amazon community.”

“In return for writing the review, we will refund your order so you will have received the product for free,” it said. Anne Marie Logan, a Georgia pharmacist, was suspicious. “I was like, ‘Is this for real?’ ” she said. “But they credited my account. You think it’s unethical?” While the letter did not specifically demand a five-star review, it broadly hinted. “We strive to earn 100 percent perfect ‘FIVE-STAR’ scores from you!” it said.

Very fishy indeed.

How often do you buy from Amazon?

Amazon Merchant Caught Refunding Buyers In Exchange For Great Reviews is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon Reviews Can Be Brutally Honest is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Kindle Fire, a 7 inch dual core tablet, has been selling quite well since it’s release late last year. Amazon has reported fantastic sales of the device, and it continues to be a hit in the tablet market thanks to it’s good performance at a great price.

Although the company expected to do well with it, they didn’t expect to do quite as well as they have so far. Thanks to a research study by RBC Capital, the Kindle Fire may be more profitable than previously expected, despite Amazon supposedly losing money on each tablet sold.

Via PCMag:

“Though Amazon actually eats a loss of an estimated $18 for every Kindle sold due to manufacturing costs and other factors, the company makes up for it through sales of ebooks and apps, according to the report. Based on survey of 216 Kindle Fire Owners, RBC analysts estimated that over the course of three years, each Kindle Fire sold could earn Amazon $136.”

Essentially, they’ll break even in less than 5 months says the report, courtesy of increased digital purchases of books, movies, and more.

“Amazon makes the most money off the Kindle Fire from sales of ebooks, according to the report. RBC estimated that each Kindle Fire owner purchases five ebooks per quarter, generating Amazon roughly $15 per user each quarter. In RBC’s survey, just 19 percent of respondents had not purchased an ebook for their device, while 29 percent purchased three to five and more than 28 percent bought more than six.”

Where they lose money on the tablet, they make it up with their other offering. Also, as hardware prices go down, so will the costs to create the device.

Do you have a Kindle Fire or plan on purchasing a tablet anytime soon?

The Kindle Fire Could Make Amazon More Money Than Previously Thought is a post from: The Inquisitr

Next to Valve’s Steam games platform the biggest seller of games, both digitally and physical media, would have to be Amazon so when they release their top sellers list everyone in the business pays attention.

While some of the names on the lists, which is divided in to the top 10 digital sales and the top 10 physical media sales, may not come as much of a surprise there were a couple that caught biz watchers off-guard a little bit. While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3; which was the top grossing video game to date, rocked the physical media sales for Amazon it barley budged on the digital download list.

As for the top selling digital download – well that went to Deus Ex: Human Revolution (an awesome game by the way) and the big winner when it came to digital downloads was Electronic Arts which scored with 50% of the top 10 digital titles.

The big loser on the lists – Nintendo, who didn’t have a single title show up on either of the lists.

Anyway here’s how it broke down starting off with:

Top 10 Digital Downloads for Amazon for 2011

1. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
2. Battlefield 3
3. The Sims 3
4. Battlefield Bad Company 2
5. Sid Meir’s Civilization V
6. Dead Island
7. Total War: Shogun 2
8. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
9. Crysis 2
10. Dragon Age 2

Top 10 Physical Media for Amazon in 2011

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2. Just Dance 3
3. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
4. Battlefield 3
5. Batman: Arkham City
6. Madden NFL 12
7. Portal 2
8. Just Dance 2
9. Gears of War 3
10. FIFA Soccer 12

I can see at least three of the digital download titles that got some of my money last year although it wasn’t through Amazon but rather Steam.

via VentureBeat

Amazon pops a few surprises in its top 10 best selling games lists is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Kindle from Amazon is an incredibly popular device that has truly revolutionized the book industry and how we consume content. How it works is very simple: You buy a book and it’s automatically added to your device.

Previously, it was only for reading and more recently there was the ability to surf the web. With the Kindle Fire, it’s completely transformed into an Android based tablet, but with previous generations, it was still, again, primarily for reading.

Amazon announced a new feature called Send To Kindle which changes that. Now users can much more easily transfer files from their Windows PC’s to their device.

Via PC Mag:

“Kindle users have always been able to transfer personal documents to their devices by either emailing them to an address assigned to their Kindle account or attaching the ereader to a computer and dragging the files over. With Send to Kindle, the process is simplified.”

“Users can transfer files from Windows Explorer by simply right-clicking on a document and choosing Send to Kindle. From any other Windows application that can print, users can select Print, and then choose Send to Kindle.”

The document file types supported are .doc, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, and the image file types supported are .png, .jpg, .bmp, and .gif. Now, Amazon did specifically mention that this new feature is for Windows users, however, a version is coming soon for the Mac the company said.

This wireless transfer process is much more convenient and will enable users to push other content to their Kindle, even if it’s in another room.

The Amazon Kindle Turns Into Better Storage Device With New Feature is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon on Thursday released some interesting numbers regarding the company’s Kindle Lending Library which officials now state has 5,000 books.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library the system offers a collection of books that Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle can borrow once a month with no due dates.

Along with the program Amazon recently launched KDP Select, a fund that allows indie authors and publishers to make money off the lending program. The program goes into effect when an author or publisher makes a book available with exclusivity on the Kindle Store for at least 90 days. Once accepted into the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library the books then earn a share of the KDP Select fund.

With the large number of books now available Amazon says customers borrowed nearly 300,000 copies (295,000 reported) from the KDP Select library in December. With the fund sitting at $500,000 in December authors earned $1.70 per borrow. Because of a strong customer and publisher reaction to the program Amazon has also announced that the fund is now offering a $200,000 bonus in January, raising the total to $700,000 for authors.

Amazon has also announced that the top ten authors in December earned $70,000 combined for their participation in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, a 30% increase on top of the royalties they earned from their paid sales on the same titles during the same period.

According to Amazon top authors say royalties grow by 449% month-over-month from November to December.

Among Amazon’s top authors in the program were:

Carolyn McCray, Rachel Yu, the Grabarchuk family and Amber Scott.

It’s been a big day for Amazon in terms of Author involvement announcements, the company also announced a new e-book format for Kindle users that allows for more author interaction with readers.

Do you think the Amazon Kindle Lending Library will ultimately be a successful jump for authors to make?

Amazon Kindle Users ‘Borrowing’ 300,000 E-Books Per Month is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon, the World’s largest e-commerce company, will be launching a new ebook format for their line of Kindle devices, dubbed KF8. The company originally announced the new format back in October when they also released the Kindle Fire.

The Kindle Fire has done tremendously well and continues to sell at a massive rate. The new KF8 ebook format will essentially give content creators more functionality and the ability to be more elaborate.

Via CNET:

“Through the use of HTML5 and CSS3, KF8 allows publishers to create great-looking books in all categories, particularly those that require rich formatting and design, such as technical & engineering books and cookbooks,” Amazon announced. Other features are well suited to graphic novels, comics, and kids’ books, Amazon said.”

Traditionally, someone would type up whatever book it is they have, do some editing and add in various graphic elements, then convert it and upload. Now, content creators and authors can add much richer formatting and give more “oomph” to their works.

More and more consumers are switching over to the Kindle and more and more authors are publishing their books to it. The simplicity is what’s so enticing and why it continues to be a big money maker, not just for Amazon but also for self publishers who can expect 70% of all profit, something that you don’t get with a traditional publisher.

“In the coming months KF8 will be rolled out to our latest generation Kindle e-ink devices as well as our free Kindle reading apps,” Amazon said.

Soon, we’ll see books that appear more like a webpage than, well, a book.

Amazon Announces New Ebook Format For Kindle, More Elaborate is a post from: The Inquisitr

Reports are circulating in which Amazon has reached a business agreement with Warner Bros. that will make the company the first major retailer to offer films in the upcoming UltraViolet digital format.

News of the deal surfaced at CNET just one day after Amazon VP Bill Carr had announced at a CES panel discussion that the company had reached a deal with a major Hollywood studio.

During his announcement Carr stood on the stage with members of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) including Warner Bros., Fox., Universal and Sony.

The announcement still hasn’t been officially made by Warner Bros. or Amazon.

If you’re unfamiliar with the UltraViolet format it’s intended as a way to alleviate the jitters some users feel over Internet video while still keeping the sales of physical discs. During the programs early implementation restrictions were placed on how long they could hold onto a digital copy and some technical encounters were experienced.

According to the UV group they will adopt a common file format in late 2012 which should help solve technical issues that are associated with different digital rights management setups.

Do you think the move to the UltraViolet system was a smart decision for Amazon and the studios that support it? Would you be more inclined to use the program if a common file format was implemented by studios using UltraViolet technology?

Amazon and Warner Bros. Reach Agreement Over UltraViolet Digital Format is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Kindle Fire tablet from Amazon, the World’s largest E-commerce company and website, sold far more than expected in the final quarter of 2011 with a whopping 5.5 Million units sold, a Million more units than originally expected.

Pretty exciting numbers for a recently introduced tablet in the marketplace. The Kindle Fire has a 7 inch screen, dual core processor, and 8GB of storage at a price point of jsut $199 with free shipping.

It’s no surprise really that it’s selling so well and continues to be one of the best selling tablets, quickly putting itself up in iPad and iPad 2 territory. People want the latest tech, but they also want it at a good price.

While people still continue to buy the iPad, there’s also people who can’t afford it, but are wanting a tablet. The Kindle Fire is that tablet and will continue to do well from the E-commerce giant.

“As the Kindle Fire’s sales surged, some analysts believe Apple’s iPad was negatively affected. In fact, just last week Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt said that he had revised iPad estimates for the fourth quarter down from 16 million to 13 million, due to stronger demand for the Kindle Fire, adding that Amazon’s tablet took away “maybe 1 [million to] 2 million” iPad sales.”

That’s quite the dent to Apple’s product line, but we won’t know for sure until the tech giant releases official results from the fourth quarter. With news and buzz of the iPad 3 gearing up, consumers will have a new tablet to look forward to.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire Blazes Q4 Sales Estimates is a post from: The Inquisitr

He’s doing it again! James Franco the actor turned author, meta-artist, director, writer, NYU professor ,  professional student of life and all things avant-garde,  is publishing his first fiction novel!

According to The Observer’s Emily Witt, James Franco has decided his next writing adventure will be titled “Actors Anonymous”, a  “fictionalized version of Mr. Franco’s experiences as an actor (and grad student?)”

This isn’t the first time he’s putting his best foot forward into the literary world. His short stories “Palo Alto” was released  last June through publishing house Scribner.

Franco, who’s known to experiment with the social spectrum of the Internet has decided to also take a gamble on his fairly new writing career. Unlike his first venture into the publishing world, his first fiction novel will be exclusively released through Amazon’s publishing arm instead of the standard publishing house. The deal was said to be inked after Franco’s literary agent, Richard Abate of 3 Arts, who also represents Tina Fey, and Tracy Morgan, brokered the deal to Amazon’s new fiction editor Ed Park.

However, Franco isn’t the only author to exercise the powerhouse Amazon has proven itself to be for the e-book. Others are actress Penny Marshall, Deepak Chopra, and self-help expert Timothy Ferriss.

Still, it’s likely since any side project Franco takes on is met with a pretty loud reception from skeptical bloggers alike,  that Franco’s name will be at the forefront of the new wave of author’s pulling away from the hand that fed them in the past.

Is this a step in the right direction for the future of books or just a fad?

James Franco to Publish Novel with Amazon is a post from: The Inquisitr

During the holiday shopping season (October – December) the Amazon Kindle Fire sold 4 million units, a number that has one investment bank believing that nearly one million potential Apple iPad 2 buyers turned away from Apple for the Google Android powered device.

Analyst Tavis McCourt at Morgan Keegan wrote in a letter investors on Tuesday that the Amazon Kindle Fire likely stole one million sales from Apple, he then lowered his quarterly estimate for the devices from 16 million units to just 13 million sold.

News of the Amazon sales bump comes just a short time after analytics reporting firm comScore revealed that 97% of all tablet web traffic still comes from Apple iPad based devices, a number likely to tumble as more competent Google Android based tablets hit the market (we saw this same scenario occur when iPhone devices were met with Google Android based Smartphones).

At least part of Amazon’s success has been their willingness to sell the Amazon Kindle Fire as a loss leader with a very well received $199 price tag that left sales swinging forward despite critics panning the devices faults.  In comparison the cheapest WiFi only version of the iPad 2 is $199 with just 16GB.

While iPad revenues accounted for 24.3% of Apple’s overall revenue last quarter McCourt has downgraded that to 21.3% for the current quarter.

While iPad sales were down thanks to Amazon Kindle Fire buyers McCourt did push his iPhone estimate from 27 to 29 million units on the strength of better than expected iPhone 4S sales.

Did you decide to forgo an Apple iPad 2 this Christmas for the Amazon Kindle Fire instead? If you did what was behind your motivation to do so?

Sure the Amazon Kindle Fire is winning big right now but can it be used as a Canadian Passport like the iPad 2?

One Million Potential iPad Buyers Decided To Purchase Amazon Kindle Fire Instead [Study] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon Kindle case designer M-Edge has filed a lawsuit against Amazon for what they claim is anti-competitive attempts to silence a rival.

The company claims in the filing that Amazon used unfair competition and false advertising along with “interfering with customers” and violating a case design patent.

Under the lawsuit M-Case says Amazon breached a three-year contract when they asked for a 15 percent cut in November 2009 then two months later hiked that rate to 32 percent while threatening to pull the product if M-Edge refused the deal.

M-Edge held out until May when Amazon said they would “retaliate” against the company by “playing” with search results, effectively hiding the company’s top-selling product while still technically keeping the product on the website.

In a further anti-competitive move Amazon is believed to have purposefully kept M-Case out of approva Kindle accessory designer lists to bury results and then lied about M-Case products being out of stock to slow sales.

M-Case says they eventually swallowed $6.5 million in reduced sales at the risk of losing all their business.

The case manufacturer has also claimed in their filing that Amazon violated a patent they own which in turn gave Amazon motive to shut down a direct competitor.

This isn’t the first time Amazon has been accused of acting as a bait-and-switch pricing partner, during their free App giveaway for Android developers they promised to pay for apps downloaded through the Amazon Appstore but later renegged on that promise.

Amazon is not currently commenting on any pending accusations or the lawsuit filed by M-Case.

Are you surprised to learn that Amazon is choosing to treat it’s third-party sellers and developers like second-class citizens?

M-Case Sues Amazon, Says Company Squeezed Them For Profits, Stole Patented Design is a post from: The Inquisitr

The sale of the Kindle might be on fire but that doesn’t mean that Amazon has any plans on being nice to anyone whop wants to make third party accessories for it; or so it would seem if the lawsuit from M-Edge Accessories is any indication.

According the the company, who manufactures sleeves and protective cases for e-readers, Amazon is guilty of patent infringement, unfair competition, intentional interference with contracts and false advertising.

The lawsuit was filed last month in federal court in Maryland and first reported about in today’s Wall Street Journal and says that Amazon has been demanding an increased commission rate on Kindle cases and accused of threatening to “de-list” M-Edge from its retail store if they didn’t agree.

From the suit:

In February of 2010, Amazon’s Marine called M-Edge and stated that despite the existing contract terms, M-Edge had to retroactively pay the difference between the 8% fee and the 25% fee for all of January, 2010. That amount was approximately $600,000; a sizable sum to M-Edge. M-Edge refused, pointing to its existing, three-year contract which it had just signed in November of 2009. Marine replied that Amazon was “disappointed”, and stated that there would be “ramifications” resulting from M-Edge’s refusal.

GeekWire has the full text of the suit.

Amazon being called a corporate bully by Kindle case maker is a post from: The Inquisitr