Apple actively tried to ban iTunes competitors from iPod

A former Apple employee has said in court that he was tasked with actively banning iTunes competitors from iPods. Apple is on trial for removing music from iPods several years ago, claiming to protect the user experience.

Rod Schultz worked on a project years ago to ensure that competitors to iTunes didn’t get a chance to work with the iPod. That said the former employee, who was called as a witness in a lawsuit against Apple. The goal was to block all third-party software: Apple would like to achieve “market dominance,” according to Schultz. Codenamed Candy, measures were taken to prevent competing software from syncing with the iPod, Schultz said, who was forced to testify against his will, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The statement is incriminating in the lawsuit against Apple. The company is on trial for allegedly using its dominant position from 2006 to 2009 to artificially inflate iPod prices. It went so far as to remove music obtained outside of iTunes from iPods.

An Apple CEO previously said that iTunes was “totally hacked” around 2008. The company would have wanted to improve security and ensure the user experience with the measures. Because music was removed from iPods, the plaintiffs want damages. The amount requested is converted to 284 million euros, but can be tripled if the judge believes that Apple has hindered competition.