Amazon drops pre-orders for Disney titles
Amazon in the US has halted pre-orders of some Disney movies in what appears to be another contract dispute, according the Wall Street Journal.
Copies of films such as Muppets Most Wanted, Maleficent and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were unavailable for order on DVD or Blu-ray on Amazon.com on Sunday, although digital copies were still available for pre-order.
Pre-orders for Disney titles still appear to be available on the UK site, while the US version is only promoting pre-orders for Amazon Instant Video copies.
This is the third contract dispute that Amazon has found itself in with suppliers this year.
So far, book publisher Hachette and Warner Brothers’ studio, part of Time Warner, have both seen sales of some of their products halted or shipments dramatically slowed during negotiations over supply contracts.
The company’s highest-profile dispute has been its fight with Hachette, which is a part of the French Lagardère group.
It has lasted nearly four months, far longer than the few weeks it had suspended sales of Warner films.
A group called Authors United ran a two-page ad in the New York Times on Sunday, criticising Amazon for halting pre-orders from some Hachette authors and slowing delivery of books by Hachette authors. The ad was signed by more than 900 writers, including Stephen King and Donna Tartt.
In response, Amazon.com’s Books Team ran a message on a website reiterating its arguments for cheaper ebooks, and suggested people email Hachette CEO Michael Pietsch.
The company published Pietsch’s email address and listed key points people might want to make.
