Come again?
Apple currently has to testify in federal court to avoid a $1 billion “anti-competitive” fine, and Steve Jobs has been called to testify–sort of. A testimony recorded on video prior to Jobs’ death will be used to help Apple defend itself from plaintiffs that allege that the company through which Jobs’ permanently changed the world unfairly used it’s iTunes Music campaign to steer consumers away from purchasing alternative competing devices, like mp3 players from Zune and Creative. The specific software the plaintiffs are pointing to is no longer in use but it reportedly helped skyrocket Apple profits over a 4-year (2006-2009) span. In this case, skyrocket means roughly $350 million in “extra profit.”
If Apple is found liable, they could be responsible for a fine that comes in at just over $1 billion, and that decision will be in the hands of a jury. The jury will hear testimonies, including Jobs’, this week.
