Apple/DOJ e-book price-fixing trial begins today
The Apple e-book price-fixing trial is set to begin today in New York, according to Reuters. The trial begins 14 months after the US Department of Justice accused Apple and five other book publishers of fixing the cost of e-books. In April 2012 the DOJ accused Apple, Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, the Hachette Book Group and MacMillan of conspiring to fix the prices of e-books in order to break the stranglehold Amazon had on the market.
Though the five book publishers decided to settle out of court, Apple has refused to do so. When asked about a settlement, CEO Tim Cook has said Apple was "...not going to sign something that says we did something we didn't do." The Department of Justice is not seeking financial damages from Apple if the government wins the case. Instead they are looking for a legal ruling that will block Apple from making similar arrangements with third-party companies in the future.
