Authors, booksellers voice support for Apple in ebook case appeal

A number of authors and booksellers have come together to support Apple in its effort to overturn the government's initial ruling in its iBooks price fixing case. The group filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court saying that the government's initial focus on was "misplaced". Quite apart from stifling competition, the group says, Apple's actions enhanced it by increasing ebook output.

From the Author's Guild

In the brief, the author and book industry groups argued that the government's focus on Apple's allegedly anti-competitive activities was misplaced, because Apple's conduct, in fact, enhanced competition by increasing e-book output, the number of e-book titles, and the number of e-book distributors, which led to technological improvements in the e-book market and enhanced freedom of expression and access to e-books.

The original lawsuit brought against Apple by the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Apple had conspired with book publishers to push the prices of ebooks up. The court initially ruled against Apple in 2013, and now Apple has reached its last resort, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the original ruling.

Source: The Author's Guild

Joseph Keller

Joseph Keller is the former Editor in Chief of iMore. An Apple user for almost 20 years, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.