Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook could be deposed in the government’s lawsuit against the company over alleged price-setting in the e-book market.<\/p>\n
In a one-page order, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote on Friday said she will hold a telephone conference on March 13 to consider the government’s request for Cook’s testimony. (http:\/\/r.reuters.com\/xur56t)<\/p>\n
Apple is the sole remaining defendant in the lawsuit brought against the iPhone maker and five other publishers last April for allegedly conspiring to raise prices of e-books to challenge the dominance of Amazon.com Inc.<\/p>\n
All of the accused publishers, including Pearson Plc’s Penguin Group, News Corp’s HarperCollins Publishers Inc and CBS Corp-owned Simon & Schuster Inc, have already settled with Justice Department in the course of the last year.<\/p>\n
The order follows a March 6 request by the government for Cook’s testimony.<\/p>\n
At the Apple trial, to be overseen by Cote in Manhattan, the Justice Department is not seeking monetary damages but a judicial decree that Apple violated antitrust law, court papers show.<\/p>\n
Among other things, government lawyers want the judge to issue an order enjoining Apple from engaging in any conduct similar to that alleged in the case.<\/p>\n
An Apple spokesman declined to comment.<\/p>\n
The case is United States v. Apple Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-02826.<\/p>\n
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