December 28, 2011 - M-Edge, a company which makes e-reader accessories such as a case for the Amazon Kindle, sued Amazon for trying to alter the terms of a 2009 contract.
In the complaint, M-Edge alleges that Amazon tried to increase the commission it receives on the sale of M-Edge's Kindle cases from 15 percent to 32 percent - and threatened to remove the cases from Amazon's Kindle store if M-Edge didn't comply. According to the Huffington Post, the contract was reassessed several times with associated fee increases - beginning with a promotion to a "Kindle Compatible" agreement after a mention on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2008 made top sellers out of M-Edge's products.
M-Edge also claims that the lighted leather e-reader jacket that Amazon began selling for use with its third-generation Kindle e-reader infringes its patent on a cover with a built-in book light. M-Edge has requested a jury trial, and seeks damages and a permanent injunction against Amazon's sale of the infringing cases.