Le Monde reports that France has become the first country in Europe to impose a ‘prix unique,’ or fixed price, on e-books. This gives publishing houses the power to set a single price for e-books at which all book sellers must sell each digital copy. The idea of the ‘prix unique’ is to eliminate the ability of large booksellers to undercut smaller ones.
Since 1981, France has had a ‘prix unique’ for physical books. The UK Guardian books podcast notes that there are nearly 800 independent book stores in Paris as compared to only 10 in New York City.
