“Closing arguments were delivered on Monday in an Oakland, California, federal courtroom in an antitrust trial that has cast fresh scrutiny on Apple’s onetime virtual domination of the digital music market,” Dan Levine reports for Reuters.
“The plaintiffs, a group of individuals and businesses who purchased iPods from 2006 to 2009, are seeking about $350 million in damages from Apple for unfairly blocking competing device makers. That amount would automatically triple under antitrust law,” Levine reports. “Plaintiff attorney Patrick Coughlin told jurors the 2006 software update was a “one, two punch” designed to restrict the iPod to music purchased on iTunes. ‘This is all about competition,’ Coughlin said.”
MacDailyNews Take: No, it isn’t. It’s all about you and your ilk’s summer homes and your yachts.
“However, Apple attorney William Isaacson said the evidence is ‘overwhelming’ that the software update was meant to improve consumers’ experience and protect against music theft. The new software contained many desirable features, Isaacson said, including movies and auto-synchronization,” Levine reports. “The jury will deliberate first on the sole issue of whether the update had benefits for customers. If it agrees with Apple, the company will prevail in the case. If the eight-member jury disagrees, they will deliberate on other antitrust issues, and damages.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: That this has even made it to a jury is a farce.
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