Apple is currently facing a lawsuit on allegedly monopolizing its iPod and iTunes business. The Cupertino-based firm might end up paying more than $1 billion in charges if proven guilty. A lawyer for Apple said that the accusations was "made up."
According to a plaintiff attorney Patrick Couglin, Apple controls what device you can use to listen to songs purchased from its iTunes store and that it shuts out competitors' MP3 files.
In a counter argument, Apple lawyer Bill Isaacson said that the accusations had no solid evidence and that it was nonsense.
"This is all made up. It's lawyer argument," said the lead attorney for Apple.
Isaacson plead that Apple should not be held liable and should not be told to "stop innovating based on nonsense."
The case was long due for nearly a decade. The plaintiffs claim that Apple led a monopoly on its music digital rights management (DRM), which resulted in the price hike for the iPod models.
Apple released in 2006 an update on its iTunes store that rendered non-iTunes MP3 files from playing on the iPod. In 2007, Apple also released another iTunes update that immediately stops the iPod from functioning if it detected there are songs from third-party stores. The users could only restore the iPod if and only if it reformatted the device using its iTunes application on Macs or PCs, erasing third-party songs.
Apple stated that there were no complaints received regarding the 2006 to 2007 iTunes updates.
Over 8 million owners of certain iPod units bought starting from September 12, 2006 up to March 31, 2009, and numerous retailers who sold the iPod devices, including Walmart and Best Buy, may receive a part of the $350 million, which may reach up to $1 billion under U.S. antitrust law, charge against Apple if proven guilty.
The antitrust case saw its final witness when former Apple and iTunes engineer Rod Schultz was subpoenaed to testify against the case.
The case is now in the hands of eight juries, who will decide what verdict to give.