Enlistment Begins In Class-Action Lawsuit Against Apple

Momentum could soon gather behind a class-action lawsuit targeting an old Apple iPod digital rights management error, CNN reports.

Millions that purchased an iPod between Sept. 12, 2006 and March 31, 2009 may soon receive an e-mail offering a chance at profiting from one Apple customer's January 2005 antitrust filing. That individual claimed that RealNetworks' Harmony DRM service might've claimed its songs could be played using an iPod, but an iPod firmware update created shortly after Harmony's launch blocked uploads via any application except Apple's iTunes platform.

"The lawsuit claims that Apple violated federal and state laws by issuing software updates in 2006 for its iPod that prevented iPods from playing songs not purchased on iTunes," explains ipodlawsuit.com of the District Court for the Northern District of California dispute, granted class-action status in November 2011. "The lawsuit claims that the software updates caused iPod prices to be higher than they otherwise would have been."

The lawsuit automatically includes all first through fourth generation Nano, second and third generation Touch, first through third generation Shuffle, fifth generation Classic and U2 Special Edition iPod purchases. Should one want to, the informative e-mail will also include directions to recuse oneself from the matter.

Why, exactly, would one want to do that? There's no guarantee of a settlement or ruling against Apple - and it's certainly not like Apple doesn't have the coin to fight this all the way - but even a chance at something for which one needn't really do anything is a chance at reward with zero risk.