In what is quickly becoming the next big ongoing back and forth between Apple and [insert third party here] of 2014, a new development has unfolded in the antitrust dispute over Apple’s iBooks practices. Michael Bromwich, the external monitor assigned to ensure Apple complies to antitrust laws relating to its iBooks program, has been temporarily removed, Reuters reports, following an “administrative stay” granted to Apple following a recent complaint filed by the Cupertino tech company against the attorney.
The Department of Justice responded strongly to Apple’s request to remove Mr. Bromwich earlier this month accusing Apple of ‘character assassination’ against Mr. Bromwich, and the Court later denied Apple’s request to have the external monitor removed.
Next, a panel of three judges will hear Apple’s motion to keep the external monitor from assignment as it pursues an appeal to the original decision which placed Mr. Bromwich on assignment.
Notable is Apple’s efforts to fight this battle at all as it recently settled with the ITC on a separate dispute involving in-app purchases with its App Store. In that dispute, Apple had implemented several safe guards against accidental in-app purchases already, but decidedly settled anyway. In this instance, Apple is pushing forward defending its deals with publishers leading up the the debut of its iBooks program.
- Court responds to Apple’s request to replace attorney in ebooks case(9to5mac.com)
- Apple asks court to remove ebooks compliance monitor from his post(9to5mac.com)
