Justice Department Wants to Clamp Down on iTunes

E-book price-fixing case spills over into Apple's other media businesses
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 2, 2013 2:46 PM CDT
Justice Department Wants to Clamp Down on iTunes
In this Tuesday Dec. 13, 2011, file photo, a customer uses a computer to access the Apple iTunes store at an Apple store in Sao Paulo, Brazil.   (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

The Justice Department is out to make sure that Apple never again fixes the price of e-books—or anything else for that matter. It's asked a judge to ban Apple "from entering into agreements with suppliers of e-books, music, movies, television shows, or other content" on iTunes that could raise prices, according to PC Mag. It also wants to require Apple to allow competitors to sell books through iOS apps, and it's demanding an external monitor to ensure Apple abides by these rules.

The plan spills out of Apple's price-fixing conviction, and the Wall Street Journal thinks it "underscores the risks Apple took when it gambled with a trial" instead of settling. Apple also still faces a separate trial to determine what punitive damages it might have to pay. The company has said, however, that it intends to appeal the ruling. (More Apple stories.)

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