Apple Offers to Settle With EU Over Price Fixing Allegations, Asks for Trial on U.S. Claims

Posted on April 20, 2012

The Telegraph reports that Apple has offered to settle the ebook price fixing case with the European Union. Joaquín Almunia, the European Union competition commissioner, told The Telegraph that he has received settlement offers from Apple and all the book publishers, except for Penguin. The terms of the settlement offers were not disclosed.

Although it wants to settle the European case, Apple told a federal court judge today that it does not want to settle the lawsuit against it filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. CBS News reports that one of Apple's many attorneys told U.S. District Judge Denise Cote that it denies the claims against it, and wishes the case to go to trial.

This was merely a preliminary hearing. All this really means is that Apple isn't going to settle now under the terms the government has offered. Federal judges push for early settlement of business cases. By saying it wants a trial, Apple is allowing the judge to start setting discovery deadlines. Apple is also being sued by a number of states attorneys general for the same ebook price fixing allegations.