As soon as the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple and five book publishers over ebook pricing, it didn’t take long for the three publishers to step back at the very same morning agreeing on the terms and conditions. The remaining three – Apple, Macmillan and Penguin denied the proceedings that they had done anything wrong. But what it seems to now be that Cupertino-based giant is eagerly waiting for the trial to start. Reuters reports that Apple attorney Daniel Floyd told a US district court judge Wednesday morning that “Our basic view is that we would like the case to be decided on the merits,” going on to say that “we believe that this is not an appropriate case against us and we would like to validate that.”
Over on this, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is said to be considering taking action against Apple for the second time in a month, over allegations that the Cupertino-based technology giant has engaged in price-fixing. The ACCC has urged retailers to formally raise the issue as it considers following a move by the US Justice Department (DOJ), where the US government issued legal proceedings against Apple and five of the world’s biggest book publishers.
Going back with the current situation, the remaining two publishers — HarperCollins and Hachette — have already reached a tentative agreement with the states in question, according to the Wall Street Journal. Both stated at Wednesday’s hearing that they in fact hope to reach settlements with all 50 US states within the next 60 days. The next hearing for the federal case is scheduled for June 22nd.
