Apple CEO may testify in price-fixing case
(Read article summary)Internet superpower Apple has been embroiled in a legal suit against the US Department of Justice since April 2012. Five publishers were accused along with Apple, but as of February, they have all settled with the DOJ.
Tim Cook, Apple Inc. CEO may have to testify in the United States Department of Justice's (DOJ) case against Apple over e-book price fixing, if the government is granted its request. US District Judge Denise Cote will consider the request on March 13 says Reuters.
We've blogged on this before, but as a reminder, last April, the DOJ sued Apple and five publishing houses for collusion to fix the prices of e-books. This is a violation of anti-trust law and a successful case for the government would mean that Apple would be severely limited as to how it can conduct its business from now on. The five publishing houses, HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and – as of February – Macmillan, have all dropped out of the case, settling with the US government for fines and restrictions on their publishing practices. Only Apple is left, and according to court papers (and Reuters), "the Justice Department is not seeking monetary damages but a judicial decree that Apple violated antitrust law."
