Judge Denise Cote ruled today that former Justice Department Inspector General Michael Bromwich will remain Apple’s antitrust monitor, despite the company’s challenge to his presence, according to a report by Reuters.
“I want the monitorship to succeed for Apple,” Cote said, according to the report.
Last year, Bromwich complained to the court that Apple was being uncooperative, and was doing its best to obstruct his work as a monitor of the company’s compliance with Cote’s decision that Apple had violated antitrust law by conspiring with publishers to raise e-book prices. The decision was a win for Amazon and its Kindle business.
Apple, for its part, took issue with Bromwich’s conduct as a court-appointed monitor. First and foremost, they called Bromwich’s fees excessive, including his $1,100 hourly rate, as well as the cost of a support team, which he needs because of a lack of experience with antitrust law. (Bromwich’s recent work includes monitoring the Materials Management Service for conflicts of interest regulating the oil industry.)
In addition, the company argued that he had made unreasonable requests of the company, including asking to interview design head Jonathan Ive and Al Gore, who sits on Apple’s board.
Throughout the trial, Apple has maintained that it did nothing wrong, and has vowed to appeal the judge’s decision.
According to Reuters, Cote said that she will issue a written decision, and then Apple will have 48 hours to ask the federal appeals court in New York for an emergency stay on the order.
