Amazon's war on content providers has apparently opened up another front.
While the online behemoth is still embroiled in a dispute with Hachette that has led to the removal of the ability to preorder that publisher's titles on the site—a conflict so dramatic that even Steven Colbert got involved—new reports suggest that Amazon's tactic isn't restricted to books, with upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases from Warner Home Video now suddenly becoming unavailable for preorder as well.
This was first noticed by the website TheDigitalBits last week, which noted that "Warner Home Video and Amazon.com are in the middle of negotiations on a new contract, so preorders on Warner titles have been suspended until a deal is reached." Contract negotiations are also at the heart of the Hachette and Amazon dispute, with Amazon explaining that “negotiating with suppliers for equitable terms and making stocking and assortment decisions based on those terms is one of a bookseller's, or any retailer's, most important jobs… When we negotiate with suppliers, we are doing so on behalf of customers. Negotiating for acceptable terms is an essential business practice that is critical to keeping service and value high for customers in the medium and long term."
Amongst the titles affected by Amazon's preorder removal are The Lego Movie, 300: Rise of an Empire, and Transcendence, although the titles are available (or, in *Transcendence'*s case, available for preorder) through Amazon's Instant Video service. Amazon has yet to officially comment on any negotiations or dispute with Warner Home Video, nor about the irony of a movie in which the villain is called "Lord Business" becoming unavailable due to a contract dispute.
