AMAZON IS NOT A MONOPOLY. Its not even near becoming one, now or in the near future. The number of independent bookstores has been INCREASING since 2009. There are thousands of book publishers in the US. As has been clearly demonstrated by the actions of Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart and others, if Amazon wont sell Hachette books, there are plenty who will, including Hachette, which now has its own online bookstore. MONOPOLY: 1. exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices. Compare duopoly, oligopoly. 2. an exclusive privilege to carry on a business, traffic, or service, granted by a government. 3. the exclusive possession or control of something. 4. something that is the subject of such control, as a commodity or service. 5. a company or group that has such control. 6. the market condition that exists when there is only one seller. (Dictionary) 1. exclusive ownership through legal privilege, command of supply, or concerted action 2. exclusive possession or control 3. a commodity controlled by one party 4. one that has a monopoly (Merriam-Webster) So, if you want to boycott Amazon in sympathy with the Hachette authors who may be affected by the current stymied contract negotiations, fine; but at least do it for the right reason.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 18:47:33 +0000