Justice Department wants to control iTunes store

The Justice Department is seeking to acquire government oversight of Apple’s iTunes and App Store – a move that would give feds control over content ranging from books to music to television shows and movies.

After winning an anti-trust lawsuit against Apple in July, the Department of Justice is attempting to gain further price control over the multinational computer corporation.

Last month, a federal judge ruled that Apple is guilty of conspiring to raise the retail prices of e-books. The Justice Department on Friday proposed sweeping punishments: officials suggested that Apple be forced to terminate contracts it holds with five major book publishers, barred from entering contracts that control e-book prices, and forced to allow iPhone or iPad users to directly buy books from other retailers with their devices.

“The court found that Apple’s illegal conduct deprived consumers of the benefits of e-book price competition and forced them to pay substantially higher prices,” Bill Baer, assistant attorney general in charge of the DOJ antitrust division, told the Washington Post. “Under the department’s proposed order, Apple’s illegal conduct will cease and Apple and its senior executives will be prevented from conspiring to thwart competition in the future.”
[link to rt.com]