Although she did not mention any companies or business sectors explicitly, it is hard not to see departing Justice Department antitrust chief Sharis Pozen’s harsh words as aimed at the publishers and Apple who are under investigation for allegedly colluding on e-book pricing:
"Competitors can’t join together and make agreements on price," she says in an interview. "We’re going to stop that."
[…]
"We don’t pick business models—that’s not our job," Ms. Pozen says, without mentioning the case explicitly. "But when you see collusive behavior at the highest levels of companies, you know something’s wrong. And you’ve got to do something about it."
Pozen steps down as acting anti-trust chief next month; the White House has nominated William Baer to replace her, though he may not be confirmed by Congress before the presidential elections in November.
The rest of the article offers a decent summary of the issues surrounding the case. Even though it could be difficult to prove collusion, anonymous sources say that the Justice Department feels it has a strong case.
Personally, I can’t wait to see it kick off. No matter how the case ends up going, it could provide plenty of entertainment either way.
Agreed, Let the rumpus begin!