Antitrust monitor: Apple is ‘its own worst enemy’

In his final report to a U.S. district judge, antitrust monitor Michael Bromwich said Apple has made progress, but persistently raised objections to requests for information, Reuters reports. Bromwich acknowledges that the company has created new antitrust procedures, implemented training programs and improved engagement among executives, but said Apple’s combative stance cast an “unnecessary shadow over meaningful progress,” at one point calling the company “its own worst enemy.” Apple is still considering an appeal to the Supreme Court over the 2013 ruling that left the company with Bromwich looking over its shoulder in the first place. A federal court ruled against Apple’s first appeal to overturn $450 million in damages that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote imposed on the company for conspiring with publishers to fix e-book prices. Regardless of the appeal’s outcome, Bromwich’s time at Apple is officially over unless Cote chooses to extend his two-year appointment.