U.s. Department of Justice investigating anticompetitive pricing behavior of e-books, join the European Union, the head of the Agency's antitrust Division said Wednesday.
Sharis Pozen, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the antitrust Division, DOJ is not the name of the target entity's e-book of the probe, but the EU's investigation focused on Apple and the five publishers e-books. Pozen Announces investigation during testimony before Subcommittee on competition in the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.
Pozen did not elaborate on the investigation into the e-book, but the testimony was the first time the DOJ says it is looking into e-book prices. A DOJ spokesman refused to say that Apple is the target of DOJ probes, but said the Agency worked with the European Union and the State Attorney General.
Pozen and Jon Leibowitz, Chairman of the US Federal Trade Commission, told lawmakers that the agencies they are keeping a close eye on the tech industry for possible antitrust violations.
Some members of the Subcommittee urged the DOJ and FTC to close check Google acquisition and its dominance in search of session Wednesday.