“Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook must sit for a deposition in the U.S. government’s lawsuit against the company over alleged price-fixing in the e-book market, a judge ruled on Wednesday,” Nate Raymond reports for Reuters.
“U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan granted the Justice Department’s request to compel Cook to testify for four hours in the lawsuit, which accuses Apple of conspiring with five publishers to raise e-book prices,” Raymond reports. “The government had argued that Cook likely had relevant information about Apple’s entry into the e-books market. It also said Cook likely had conversations related to e-books with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who died in 2011. Apple had fought the request, saying Cook’s testimony would be “cumulative and duplicative” since the government had already deposed 11 other executives at the iPad maker.”
Raymond reports, “A trial is set for June. The government is not requesting damages but is seeking a finding that Apple violated antitrust law. It is also seeking an order blocking Apple from engaging in similar conduct. During the teleconference, Orin Snyder, a lawyer for Apple at the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, called the government’s request to depose Cook a ‘fishing expedition.’ Snyder said the testimony of other executives should be sufficient in the case. Depositions of 11 other Apple executives have already taken place or been scheduled, according to an earlier letter Apple sent the judge. ‘This effort to depose Mr. Cook, Apple’s CEO, reflects the fact the government cannot meet its burden of proof in this case,’ Snyder said.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The U.S. DOJ is plainly inept.
Killing real competition for the appearance of competition is just plain stupid.
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I am trying to understand this. Amazon wants all books to be less than 9.99 so they seem to be telling the publisher what to charge. While Apple says we will give you space on our system with our customers for 30 percent cut and you can charge what ever you want. How is Apple trying to raise prices?