In a mixed ruling, Judge Denise Cote will allow the Authors Guild, along with Royalty Share founder and music industry veteran Bob Kohn, to submit amicus briefs in connection with the DoJ’s price-fixing settlement. However, while the court accepted the Authors Guild’s five-page brief, it rejected the lengthier, 25-page submission from Kohn, and gave him until September 4 to submit a new, five-page brief, limited to addressing “new arguments” presented in the government’s July 23 and August 3 submissions.
In his motion, Kohn had asked the court to order the United States to file with the court all documents relating to its claim that Amazon’s e-book business has been “consistently profitable,” and requested permission to add 12 more pages to his 25-page brief. In her opinion, however, Cote ruled that Kohn had ample opportunity to make his case during the public comment period.
