Europe has been already delayed behind in terms of the widespread adoption of e-books comparing to U.S, but a recent report suggests that they are finally taking up this new digitized trend.  In 2010, the e-book market in Western Europe grew by 400 percent according to a new report. By 2015, e-books expectedly make up 15 percent high of total book sales in the region. Contrary to the U.S, Western Europe was already at 6.4 percent in 2010.

A U.K based consulting firm, Futuresource Consulting, published the research on e-books and e-readers. “Despite all this rapid growth in demand for e-books in Western Europe, the market is still in its infancy, representing less than 1 percent of total consumer spending on books,” Futuresource market analyst Fiona Hoy said.

“Moving forward, there are enormous opportunities within the market and our forecasts show Western European e-book revenues will reach €1.6 billion by 2015, accounting for 15% of total book spend and representing one out of every five books sold in the region.”

Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble Inc. said Thursday that Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by John Malone, has dropped its $1 billion bid to buy the bookseller and instead will invest $204 million in the company.  Liberty agreed to purchase preferred shares, convertible into 12 million common shares or 17 percent of the company’s stock, at $17 a share, Barnes & Noble said in a statement.  The preferred shares will pay a 7.8 percent annual dividend. Liberty, based in Englewood, Colorado, bid $17 a share in May for 70 percent of the retailer, valuing it at $1 billion. Barnes & Noble will use the investment to continue its e-reader strategy, which is built upon the Nook device.

As the digital rights movement goes mainstream, its business implications are beginning to be realized.  And these growing pains can sometimes lead to industry dissonance.  A consumer rights group has filed a lawsuit against Apple and five book publishers, accusing them of illegally fixing the price of e-books.  The lawsuit has been filed by Hagens Berman, a consumer rights class-action law firm in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.   The lawsuit alleges that Apple and the mentioned book publishers have been price-fixing in order to increase profitability, draw users away from Kindle, and force Amazon – Apple’s new public enemy number one – to ‘abandon its pro-consumer discount pricing,’ claims the lawsuit PDF.

The lawsuit states that as a ‘direct result of this anti-competitive conduct’ ebooks from the named publishers can now be sold though Apple’s iBookstore and face ‘no pricing competition from Amazon or other edistributors for the same titles.