A U.S. Department of Justice lawyer urged Southern District Judge Denise Cote (See Profile) Thursday to find that Apple Inc. conspired with publishers in 2010 to raise electronic book prices, while an attorney for the computer giant warned that such a finding in the civil antitrust case would set a "dangerous precedent" for businesses.
Justice Department lawyer Mark Ryan said the government had proven overwhelmingly through testimony and evidence offered at a three-week trial that Apple conspired with publishers to boost e-book prices above the $9.99 bargain price that the Seattle-based Amazon.com had established for the most popular electronic books.
