Apple Could Go to Trial in May 2014 for eBooks Damages

From DailyTech: Apple may have to go to trial (again) concerning the eBooks conspiracy, but this time, it's to discuss damages.

According to a new report by Reuters, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote scheduled a trial for damages in May 2014. At that time, Cote will decide if Apple has to pay as much as hundreds of millions of dollars in response to the recent eBooks ruling.

Until then, Apple and the government have to complete interviews with experts by December 13. They must also submit court papers on whether to certify a class of plaintiffs.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice and 33 U.S. states and territories have proposed that Apple be banned from entering anti-competitive e-book distribution contracts for five years; end its business models with the five publishers it conspired with; use an outside monitor to make sure that its antitrust policies are effective, and allow retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble to provide links to their options for two years.

However, the five book publishers that took part in an agency price model with Apple (and were targeted in the DOJ investigation as well) said that the new solutions punish the publishers more than they do Apple.

More specifically, they said that the restrictions on Apple go against the previous settlements between the publishers and the DOJ, where the publishers have already paid $166 million to benefit consumers.

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