At close of ebook trial, Apple gains ground: what lies ahead

At the outset of a June trial that captivated the publishing world, Apple’s role in fixing ebook prices was nearly a foregone conclusion: Five publishers had already settled and the trial judge started the proceedings by saying the government could likely prove Apple had organized the whole thing.

Three weeks later, the situation looks somewhat different. Apple made a forceful argument that it brought competition to a market dominated by Amazon and, according an antitrust expert, forced the trial judge to rethink the foundation of the case. Here’s an easy-to-read Q&A…