Apple faces opposition from the federal government. The tech giant sought the temporary suspension and plans to appeal the July findings of U.S. District Judge Denise Cote. Apple cannot block a verdict that found it had conspired with major book publishers to raise book prices in violation of antitrust laws, the federal judge ruled at a hearing on Friday.
Michael Bromwich was appointed in October by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote to evaluate Apple’s antitrust compliance policies. The former Justice Department inspector former director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, according to reports by Bloomberg News, Bromwich set up the unit after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
“Apple has showed no remorse, or made any public statement admitting wrongdoing,” Judge Cote stated. “They are, in a word, unrepentant” for conspiring in 2010 with five major book publishers to price-fix the costs of e-books and de throne Amazon from its position as the leader in the e-book industry.
The five major book publishers weighed in, arguing that banning Apple from the e-book industry would violate the agreements that they made with the Justice Department when they settled. The Justice Department disagreed in a letter filed with the court and added that “Apple should not be rewarded with the same terms received by those who chose to settle to avoid the risks of litigation.”
According to Courthouse News, all the five book publishers – HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster, Holtzbrinck Publishers and Penguin Random House – settled, leaving Apple alone to defend itself.
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