E-book case gives users new round of credits

Compensation is going to customers of Amazon and Apple in settlement over allegations of a conspiracy to fix prices

Amazon notifies eligible customers that additional money from a lawsuit settlement has been distributed.

If you’re an Amazon or Apple e-books customer, you may find a surprise waiting in your Kindle or iBooks accounts.

Amazon has notified eligible customers that additional money from a lawsuit settlement has been distributed to customers who bought Kindle e-books between April 1, 2010, and May 21, 2012. This is the second round of cash to be disbursed, with the first sent out in June 2016.

How much will you get? It depends on how many e-books you bought in that period.

Both Amazon and Apple are providing credits, with email notifications sent out Wednesday. Amazon credits can be checked at amazon.com/Applebook settlement, and your Apple iBooks credit in the account area of iTunes. If you don’t see a credit and you think you should have one, reach out to the respective company’s customer service.

The lawsuit involved allegations brought by 33 state attorneys general that Apple and five book publishers — Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Holtzbrinck Publishers, Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster — conspired to fix e-book prices. The publishers settled, but Apple did not, and the case against the tech giant went to trial in June 2013. A federal district court and an appeals court found Apple guilty.

In this second distribution, the amount you may receive depends on the books you bought, according to the official web page about the case. Customers who bought New York Times bestsellers get $1.72 per e-book. Purchases of non-bestsellers get 38 cents per e-book.

The money in this round is coming from Apple.

Only customers who spent the first round of cash will get the second one. These credits expire April 20. In some cases, checks may be mailed rather than credit applied.