[stonetools]

I think that the potential exposure to liability is considerable, both in the EU and in the USA. Everyone's playing for high stakes, here.

As to image and spin, the general public is hardly aware of this action -just that the DOJ is suing Apple and some publishing companies over something to do with ebooks. People on this forum are paying much more attention than the average ebook buyer, who frankly is OK with agency pricing. ( People on this forum predicted that "no one" would buy ebooks at the higher "agency prices"- but people overwhelmingly did so .)

The DOJ complaint painted the defendants in the darkest colors, and the impending defense response will paint them in the purest white. The truth will be more nuanced. An any case, the I don't think the imge of either Apple or the publishers will take a big hit over this. Their profits will take a big hit, though, if they lose.