A high-profile trial based on claims that Apple abused their position as leaders of the digital music industry may be on the verge of collapsing. Apple is accused of forcing its customers to buy music from its iTunes Store by making it impossible to play tracks purchased elsewhere on its iPods. The company is faced with being ordered to pay out damages totaling $1 billion, but its lawyers have said that two women names as plaintiffs may have purchased iPods not being covered by the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is covering devices purchased between September 2006 and March 2009. During this period, Apple’s software only allowed music purchased from iTunes to be played on its media devices. Apple is accused of artificially inflating iPod prices due to the restrictions it placed on users. Consumers and businesses are being represented by lawyers accusing Apple of being anti-competitive.
Lead plaintiff Marianna Rosen testified on Wednesday, with Apple lawyers finding that her iPod Touch had been purchased in July 2009, with fellow plaintiff Melanie Wilson having also bought her devices outside of the time frame. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said that the trial could collapse due to a lack of plaintiff, despite eight million consumers having been affected by the restrictions.
Apple used Digital Rights Management or DRM software after record labels expressed fears about unauthorised copying. Apple rivals including RealNetworks were left frustrated when music purchased through their services could not be played on iPods. RealNetworks then introduced coding to override this, with Apple boss Steve Jobs comparing them to a “hacker” for doing so. Other restrictions introduced by Apple meant that iPod owners were forced to wipe their iPods if they tried to add music bought from a non-iTunes store, with the tech giant claiming that they were protecting iPod owners from malware and hackers. Judge Gonzalez Rogers has asked both sides to tell her what they think should happen next.
Did you buy an iPod in the relevant time frame? Were you affected by Apple’s restrictions? Tell us about your experiences in the comments section below.
