Readers to get $166M in e-book payouts

Major e-book publishers have agreed to cough up $166 million in refunds as part of a price-fixing settlement with New York and 32 other states, authorities s♕aid Tuesday.

Readers will get small refunds to their Kindle, Nook and other e-book seller accou🍬nts for each book they bought, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement.

“Illegal actions by these publishers forced consumers in New York and across the nation to pay artific𝕴ially inflated prices for e-books,” Schneiderman said.

“Companies engaging in such anti-competitive conduct will be puni🅷shed — and starting today, those injured by their actions will start to receive full and fair compensation.”

The states sued publishing heavyweights Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Pengu🍃in as well as Apple, alleging anti-competitive activity in the booming e-book in🥀dustry.

Anybody 𓆉who bought an e-book from the publishers between April 1, 2ꦇ010, and May 21, 2012, will get a credit of about $3 if that book was a New York Times best seller, and a credit of about 75 cents if the book was never a best seller.

Of the total꧃ settlement, New Yorkers will꧅ get about $11.5 million.

State residents who purchased e-books from Amazon, Barnes &🌜 Noble, Kobo or Apple will automatically receive a credit on their e-book accounts.

Those who bought e-books from Sony will receive refund che🤡cks i🔯n the mail.

“We will automatically apply your available credit the next time you purchase a Kindle book or a print book sold by Amazon.com, regardless of publisher,” Amazon said in🃏 a statement.

None of the publishers admitted guilt, but settled to avoid 🦩disru🎀pting their business, they said.

Conꦿsumers could also receive a further credit from Apple after an ongoing federal pr🉐ice-fixing trial is resolved.

Apple decided to fight the antitrust casꦗ꧃e brought by the Justice Department, state governments and class action lawyers.

The settlements were approved in Manhattan federal court🥂 last Dec. 6.