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Apple in court over ebook price-fixing accusations
(Guardian UK) Apple went on trial in New York on Monday over accusations by the US department of justice of conspiring with publishers to raise the price of ebooks in the US.
Though the company does not face a fine, the outcome could shape what deals online retailers can make with content owners. The DoJ is seeking a block on Apple engaging in similar conduct in future – and the company is resisting.
The five publishers previously cited in the case have already settled with the DoJ. The trial judge has urged Apple to follow suit, after looking at evidence including emails from Steve Jobs to James Murdoch, then head of News Group-owned Harper Collins. Jobs, who died in 2011, told his biographer: "We told the publishers, 'We'll go to the agency model, where you set the price, and we get our 30% and yes, the customer pays a little more, but that's what you want anyway.'"
Yet chief executive Tim Cook insisted last week that he would not settle. "We're not going to sign something that says we did something we didn't do," he said. "And so we're going to fight." ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jun/03/apple-trial-ebook-price-fixing
