Apple’s a monopolist, say the class-action lawyers

September 7, 2007

Gregory Watson, of the law firm of Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins, says that the new iPods released on Wednesday prove that Apple is a monopolist:

The class-action firm says that like their predecessors, Apple’s latest iPods will not play music encoded in Microsoft’s competing Windows Media Audio, or WMA, format. [...]

Apple could license the WMA format from Microsoft for less than 2 cents per iPod, lawyers say, which would make iPods and iPhones, old and new, compatible with music purchased online from rivals like Wal-Mart, Napster, Best Buy, Yahoo and others.

Wow. Apple is a monopolist for failing to help prop up Microsoft’s failing music business?

I wonder how much they’ll be asking for if they receive class-action status? Three hundred million dollars for the law firm, and a $1 iTunes Store gift card for each of the consumers covered by the class action?

Trial lawyers. I know there must be some of them that actually fight for justice, but you never hear about those ones.