Developments in an case against Apple, publishers
On Thursday, the U.S. government said Apple wants to rush its antitrust lawsuit over the price of electronic books. Apple acknowledges it has a "special urgency" in ending the case.
The government sued this year, joining 15 states in saying Apple and several publishers conspired in the fall of 2009 to force e-book prices several dollars above the $9.99 charged by Amazon.com on its popular Kindle device.
Here are developments in the case:
April 11: The Justice Department and 15 states sue Apple Inc. and major book publishers, accusing them of conspiring to raise e-book prices. The federal government announces settlement with three of the publishers, Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Shuster. The two publishers named in the case are Holtzbrinck Publishers, doing business as Macmillan, and The Penguin Publishing Co. Ltd., doing business as Penguin Group. Connecticut and Texas have also reached agreements with Hachette and HarperCollins.
April 13: Apple denies charges and says the company has instead fostered innovation and competition by introducing its iBookstore in 2010. The company insists customers have benefited from e-books that are more interactive and engaging.
May 15: A federal judge cites the confident voice of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs in refusing to toss out the case. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote says that Jobs had made statements that agreements between the publishers and Apple would cause consumers to "pay a little more."
Thursday: The U.S. government says Apple wants to rush the lawsuit by finishing evidence gathering by year's end. Apple acknowledges it has a "special urgency" in ending the case. The government says it wants until March to finish gathering evidence.
