Story highlights
Never-before-seen deposition featuring Steve Jobs will be shown
Jobs gave the deposition just months before he died of cancer in 2011
Plaintiffs in lawsuit say Apple engaged in antitrust behavior in digital music sales
It’s been a little more than 3 years since Steve Jobs passed away. But like other notable and historical figures, there remains an enormous appetite for anything Jobs related, including movies and books about his life.
That’s why a never-before-seen video deposition is likely to generate massive interest when it gets played in an Oakland, California, courtroom. Jobs gave the deposition in April of 2011, just months before he succumbed to pancreatic cancer.
The trial, with opening statements beginning Tuesday, centers around digital music and how things existed a decade ago. The plaintiffs allege that Apple engaged in antitrust behavior by not allowing music sold in other digital stores to play on iPods, specifically iPods sold from 2006 to 2009.
In his deposition, Jobs testified that Apple’s deals with the music companies didn’t allow for interoperability.
Today, consumers have no shortage of options when it comes to downloading or streaming their favorite artists. But if you hit the rewind button and go back 10 years, the choices were limited.
For many, Apple’s iTunes was the only legitimate game in town. And it paired up beautifully with the iPod. It was classic Apple. A walled-in system that got you sucked into its ecosystem. If you bought a song from another music marketplace, it wouldn’t play on Apple devices.
Digital music is now basically a commodity and can be heard on an infinite amount of devices from many different providers.
In his deposition, Jobs testified that Apple’s deals with the music companies didn’t allow for interoperability.
“We had pretty much black and white contracts with the labels,” he said.
“And we went to great pains to make that people couldn’t hack into our digit rights management system because if they could, we would get nasty emails from the labels threatening us.”
The deposition took place for approximately 2 hours with Jobs often saying he couldn’t remember certain e-mails or conversations.
Other prominent Apple executive are expected to testify, including marketing chief Phil Schiller and Eddy Cue, who runs Internet and software services.
The stakes are relatively small for Apple - 350 million, a tiny fraction of the company’s revenue. (Apple generates more than $180 billion in annual sales. )
But Apple decided to take the case to trial rather than settle. And by doing so, an adoring public will get another glimpse into the style and personality of the legendary founder.
