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US: Judge grants DOJ wish for external Apple watchdog

By  |  September 6, 2013

US District Judge Denise Cote, presiding over the infamous Apple Inc.’s eBooks price-fixing case, decided Friday on the sanctions to be issued on the tech giant after finding the company had conspired to fix eBooks prices.

The US Department of Justice, which filed the lawsuit against Apple, had sought various punishments, including the controversial proposal that a third-party watchdog be established specifically to oversee the company and prevent future competition. According to reports, Judge Cote seems to have granted the DOJ’s wish, along with a ruling that bars Apple from entering into any agreements with five major eBooks publishers that could lead to similar price fixing.

The judgment’s terms will last five years with the possibility of extensions.

Just Cote ruled last July that Apple conspired to fix eBooks prices. Major publishers were also the target of the DOJ’s case, but all settled.

Full Content: Reuters

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