Apple’s been under the scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Justice in two anti-trust investigations over the last couple of months: the first in response to complaints by Adobe that Apple wouldn’t allow Flash on iPhone OS, the second in relation to the forthcoming iAd network.
Steve Jobs can’t be happy about either of these investigations, so the prospect of a third must have him massaging his temple as if someone just fired an invisible BB into it: the New York Times claims that the DoJ is launching yet another anti-trust investigation against Apple, focusing on the iTunes hegemony over the digital music market.
According to the Times, the investigation is prompted by Apple asking music labels not to take part in Amazon’s MP3 Daily Deals promotion, in which Amazon got exclusive right to sell certain soon-to-be-released song one day before the songs went on sale more widely. Reportedly, labels that refused to pull out of the Daily Deals promotion were then “punished” by Apple by withdrawing marketing support for those songs on iTunes.
It’s just at the inquiry stage right now, and may very well not end up going anywhere, but the writing’s on the wall: sooner or later, the DoJ’s going to seriously try to make an anti-trust case stick against Cupertino. Apple’s lawyers better get ready for a storm.
