US: Apple mediates relationship with eBook monitor

When Apple was first told that it would have a third-party monitor to oversee the company’s antitrust compliance following eBook price-fixing claims, reports emerged that tensions were high between the company and its keeper. But it seems tempers have cooled since the first few months of the relationship.

Former US inspector general Michael Bromwich was instated as Apple’s third-party monitor by US District Judge Denise Cote after she found Apple had conspired to manipulate eBook costs. Bromwich emerged as a tough monitor, demanding meetings with top executives at Apple including CEO Tim Cook and causing tension with the company.

Now, however, reports say the relationship has improved. “Our relationship with Apple during this period has been more productive and constructive than it was during the first few months of the monitorship,” Bromwich said in a court filing on Wednesday.

While he mentioned that he still has yet to meet with certain executives, he said he has gained crucial insight into the culture at Apple, specifically that while Apple harvests a culture of “doing the right thing,” employees are not always sure of what the right thing is in regards to antitrust compliance.

Full content: Fortune.com

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