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US: Apple eBook appeal gains surprising addition from Solicitor General

By  |  December 11, 2014

A Deputy Solicitor General has brought a surprising twist to the ongoing dispute between federal regulators and Apple in the eBooks price-fixing case.

According to reports, Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart will join the Department of Justice in defending the earlier ruling that found Apple had conspired to fix eBook prices.

Reports note that while the Solicitor General getting involved in a case at this level is not unprecedented, it is unusual; the Solicitor General’s office typically argues case at the Supreme Court level.

The addition of Stewart is sparking rumors that the case could be headed to SCOTUS.

Experts suggest that the Obama Administration could also simply hold a strong interest in the case due to Apple’s argument that the DOJ argued the cased based on backwards antitrust theory – the company says the DOJ’s suit protects Amazon, a monopoly, and prosecuted a new market entrant, Apple.

Full content: Fortune

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