A US federal appeals court issued a ruling on Monday that Apple Inc should submit to an antitrust monitor as the technology giant challenges a current ruling regarding conspiracy on electronic books prices.
The Wall Street Journal said in its report that Apple has been wanting to get rid of lawyer Michael Bromwich, whom a federal judge assigned last year as the company's monitor on the efforts of the company to create new policies to prevent them from making antitrust violations. Bromwich, which currently commands over a thousand dollars per hour, followed after a 2013 ruling decided that Apple conspired with five other major publishers in the US to drive e-book prices up.
The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals appeared to have favored the US Justice Department, who had argued for Apple to be monitored. However, the panel of judges had issued a narrow definition of Bromwich's duties at Apple. According to the judges, the former Justice Department inspector general will be given authority to request documents and interviews from the company for the sole purpose of ensuring that Apple has new policies in place for the company to avoid antitrust violations in the future, and that board members and senior executives of the company should understand them.
Justice lawyer Finnuala K. Tessier said last week at a hearing before the Second Circuit tha Bronwich is confined to acting his duties in connection with the antitrust compliance program of Apple.
The Second Circuit wrote in the Monday, which was signed by court clerk Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, "The government conceded that the injunction would not allow the monitor to investigate whether such personnel were in fact complying with the antitrust or other laws."
US Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said about the Second Circuit ruling, "Today's ruling makes abundantly clear that Apple must now cooperate with the court-appointed monitor."
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