Apple’s Ebook Price Fixing Drama Draws to a Close
Over two years after U.S. District Judge Denise Cote ruled that Apple conspired with publishers to raise the price of ebooks, the U.S. Justice Department has said that it’s satisfied with Apple’s efforts to comply with antitrust laws and recommended that Apple’s monitoring not be extended. Apple has had a contentious relationship with its court-appointed monitor, Michael Bromwich, who claimed that Apple failed to cooperate, while Apple maintained that Bromwich abused his authority. Although the Justice Department said that Apple “never embraced a cooperative working relationship with the monitor,” it acknowledged that Apple has “now implemented meaningful antitrust policies, procedures, and training programs.”