From 2007 to 2009 Apple (NASDAQ:APPL) effectively created a firewall around its iPod by not allowing music from services that compete with iTunes to be played on its devices, a court heard this week.
Apple is caught in a class-action antitrust suit which alleges that Apple created a non-competitive environment for music players and downloading services. According to allegations by the defendants, it was at one time impossible to put music obtained through services that rival Apple’s iTunes as attempting to sync the non-iTunes obtained music would cause the iPod to crash during the syncing process. To restore the iPod post-crash, a factory reset would be required and when the iPod came back to life the user’s non-iTunes music would be gone.
“You guys decided to give them the worst possible experience and blow up” a user’s music library, attorney Patrick Coughlin is quoted by the The Wall Street Journal as saying.
Apple defended the practice as being a legitimate response to security concerns — particularly piracy. The proliferation of DVD rippers and other pirated content gave Apple grounds to vigilantly protect the integrity of the iTunes ecosystem, Apple’s security director Augustin Farrugia said in court.
The trial continues in court next week. The plaintiffs are seeking $350 million in damages.
