LIVE: US vs. Apple – Decision Will “Set The Rules for Internet Commerce”
On today’s SiliconANGLE Live NewsDesk Show, (see live feed below or visit youtube.com/siliconangle to watch on-demand), we discuss how the U.S. is taking Apple to trial today over e-books price-fixing.
Apple is headed to a U.S. federal court today to face charges that it colluded with five publishers to raise prices on e-books just prior to the introduction of iPad. The trial squarely pits Apple vs. the U.S. Justice Department in a case that could set a precedence for how Internet retailers interact with content providers. “This case will effectively set the rules for Internet commerce,” said David Balto, a former policy director for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The Justice Department filed its case against Apple and five of the six largest U.S. book publishers in April 2012. The lawsuit accused them of conspiring to increase e-book prices and break Amazon.com Inc’s hold on pricing.
You’ll note that Apple is alone in U.S. Federal court today because the five publishers settled after the government filed charges. HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Macmillan and Hachette agreed to eliminate prohibitions on wholesale discounts to the tune of paying a collective $164 million to benefit consumers. Like many traditional print publishing businesses, book publishing has been in turmoil over the past decade. Mobile devices and services like the Kindle, Nook and iBooks are changing the game.
Joining us now to tell us more about the government’s case against Apple is Wikibon Chief Analyst Dave Vellante. (See the live broadcast, embed below ~ if you missed today’s topic, check our YouTube channel for archived clips.)
Some of the things we’ll be discussing with Vellante include the reasons why Apple may have decided against settling this high profile court case, the likelihood of Apple winning, the consequences of Apple losing this case, and the long-term implications this could mean for the publishing industry at large.
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