Home Depot sales up nearly 5% in Q2, reaffirms full-year outlook

In separate motions filed last month, Amazon and the Big Five publishers argued that a lawsuit accusing them of a conspiracy to fix e-book prices was “illogical” and should be dismissed. But in a lengthy opposition brief filed this week, lawyers for a potential consumer class portrayed their case as the second act of the Apple e-books case, and insisted there is more than enough evidence for the case to proceed. In the 56-page filing, lawyers for the plaintiffs insist that the existence of Most Favored Nation clauses in the Amazon contracts of the Big Five publishers—the crux of the plaintiffs' case—is sufficient to allow the case to proceed, especially given that the MFN is the same mechanism five major publishers and Apple used to eliminate price competition from the consumer e-book market in 2010.

Times Publishing Newspapers Inc., owner of several magazine-style newspapers in the Bucks County, Pennsylvania area, has been acquired by O’Rourke Media Group of Gilbert, Arizona. Terms were not disclosed. The properties, which appear 11 times per year via the U.S. Postal Service, include the Doylestown Observer, Fairless Focus, Langhorne Ledger, Morrisville Times, Newtown Gazette, Northampton Herald, New Hope News, Lower Southampton Spirit, Warwick Journal,and the Yardley Voice , according to the New Hope Free Press.

IAC and Meredith Corporation announced their entry into an agreement pursuant to which IAC’s Dotdash digital publishing unit will acquire the entity that will hold Meredith Corporation's National Media Group, which is comprised of its Digital and Magazine businesses, and its corporate operations (“Meredith”), in an all cash transaction at a purchase price of $42.18 per share. The transaction combines the power of Dotdash’s digital publishing model with Meredith’s trusted, iconic brand portfolio, loyal audience and scale. The combined company, to be called Dotdash Meredith and led by Dotdash CEO Neil Vogel, is expected to be one of the largest publishers in America with leading brands across the highest value commercial categories online, including home, health, food, finance, parenting, and beauty. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. “The Meredith family is extremely proud of everything the company has achieved over the past 120 years, which is a direct reflection of our dedicated employees,” said Mell Meredith Frazier, Vice Chairman of the Meredith board of directors. “Our creative and devoted employees have guided our beloved brands through a fast-changing media landscape – enriching the lives of generations of Americans. The Meredith Foundation will continue to be an active member in the flourishing Des Moines community, as will Dotdash Meredith.”