amazon.com plays dirty
Dan Kohn (dan@teledesic.com)
Sun, 24 Aug 1997 15:53:25 -0700
> [* B&N may very well lose on this tax nexus issue. - dan *]
>
> AMAZON.COM COUNTERSUES BARNES & NOBLE
> In the latest assault in the escalating battle between pioneer online
> bookseller Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com has filed a
> countersuit
> against Barnes & Noble, alleging that the bricks & mortar entity
> should be
> charging sales tax on the books it sells over the Internet. Amazon 's
> argument is based on the fact that B&N, unlike Amazon.com, has a
> physical
> presence in most states through its chain of 1,000-plus stores that
> therefore constitute the "nexus" of activity in each state. An
> attorney for
> B&N says there is "no basis whatever" for Amazon's claim. In May,
> Barnes &
> Noble filed suit against Amazon.com, saying its claim to be "the
> world's
> largest bookstore" was false advertising. (Wall Street Journal 22 Aug
> 97)