Apple Fights Back Against U.S. Government over EBook Price-Fixing

Apple reportedly has begun its defence against the U.S. government charges of being involved with 6 other publishers in an eBook price-fixing controversy.

Apple has been charged for working with six other publishing houses in an eBook controversy 2009. A final scheduled conference before the long-awaited June 3 e-book price-fixing trial took place last week and according to a Reuters report, when DoJ attorney Mark Ryan asked Judge Cote to share her initial impression of the case, Judge Cote reportedly replied that the case may be ruled against Apple. Quotes from Steve Jobs' official biography were cited as evidence against the iPad makers.

Apple has finally begun its defense against the charge saying any agreement with publishers did not affect their dealings with other retailers such as Amazon.

The five publishers who were also charged alongside Apple have already reached settlements in which they agreed to terminate their e-book agreements with Apple. They were Hachette, Penguin, HarperCollins, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster.

However, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company is not looking to reach any settlements with the government, saying the company hasn't done anything wrong and are willing to fight the government.

However, quotes of Jobs authorized biography which stays Apple told publishers, "We'll go to the agency model, where you set the price, and we get our 30%, and yes, the customer pays a little more, but that's what you want anyway," gives the government an edge in the case. In fact, judges have already expressed that there is a strong possibility of the case being ruled against Apple.

Nevertheless, Apple's attorney confirmed that this, in no way has affected Apple, who will continue to prove itself right in court.

"For Apple, this is going to be a 'facts' case," said Christopher Sagers, an antitrust law professor at Cleveland State University who has followed the case closely. "Apple is going to have to prove that the facts alleged by the government are incorrect, because if the government proves what it alleges at trial, Apple surely loses."

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