Apple may revamp its developers license to parry possible antitrust inquiries that were triggered by an Adobe complaint filed with federal regulators, reports claimed yesterday.
But a reversal by Apple may not be enough at this point, an antitrust expert argued.
Yesterday, several media sources, including the New York Post , reported that officials at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) were mulling a possible antitrust investigation of Apple. The DOJ and FTC are allegedly looking into a recent Apple decision to block software developers from using cross-platform compilers when they create programs for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
Apple may try to fend off those inquiries by again changing the iPhone 4 SDK (software developers kit) licensing language, the Wall Street Journal said today in a story that cited an unnamed source.
That would do more harm than good, countered one expert.
"It's unlikely that Apple would unilaterally change its licensing agreement," said Hillard Sterling, an antitrust attorney at Chicago-based law firm Freeborn & Peters LLP. "Such a change may help preempt some potential government claims, but the FTC and/or DOJ may be preparing a larger case in which the licensing terms are just a part," Sterling continued in an e-mail. "Also, the change may be used by the government as evidence of wrongdoing with the initial terms. It's more likely that Apple would agree to change the agreement as part of a settlement, which would include a release protecting Apple from those potential consequences."
