Fines were applied as follows:
Curtea Veche Publishing S.R.L. 422,220.85 lei
Nemira Publishing House S.R.L. 324,636.37 lei
Humanitas S.A. 365,718.84 lei
Publica Com S.R.L. 174,677.34 lei
Direct Client Services S.R.L. (Cărturești Bookstores) 3,982,290.66 lei
Librăriile Humanitas S.A. 582,362.94 lei
Romanian Publishers Association 115,696.04 lei
The competition authority found, following an investigation, that the six companies, together with the industry association, coordinated their commercial strategies and restricted the sale of books to entities managing the Bookster library, between 2017 and 2020.
Bookster purchased books from publishers and bookstores which were subsequently made available to subscribers through a subscription paid by the readers’ employers.
The publishers and bookstores, supported by the industry association, believed that Bookster’s activities did not qualify as those of a public library and that Bookster did not adhere to the rules of the book supply market and did not pay sufficient royalties.
“We cannot rule on the applicability of other laws, but all laws must be respected, including the competition law. The publishing houses and bookstores should have acted only through legal means to achieve their goals,” said Bogdan Chiritoiu, President of the Competition Council.
The investigation was triggered by a complaint filed by the Education for All Children Association, as the owner of the Bookster library.
It should be noted that the competition law prohibits any agreements between companies and concerted practices that hinder, restrict, or distort competition in the Romanian market.