Apple Allegedly Deleted Songs From Users’ iPods That Were Downloaded From Rival Services

A class-action antitrust lawsuit alleges that between 2007 and 2009, Apple intentionally deleted songs purchased through rival services from its users’ iPods without informing them, The Wall Street Journal reports. The plaintiffs of the case are seeking $350 million in damages, contending that they were subsequently forced to pay more for Apple’s services.

Attorney Patrick Coughlin, speaking in U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, stated that when a user attempted to sync an iPod containing music purchased from a rival service, an error message would be displayed. The user would then be directed to restore factory settings, but when that step was fulfilled, the rival songs would be deleted.

“You guys decided to give them the worst possible experience,” Coughlin said. He also said Apple intentionally built its system to avoid telling users that these songs would be deleted.

In response, Apple said the system was built to guard against hackers, and that the non-Apple files were deleted to protect users. In his testimony, Apple security director Augustin Farrugia said users weren’t given more information to avoid confusing them. “The system was totally hacked,” he said, and the prompt to restore factory settings was meant as a shield against hackers.

The lawsuit goes back a decade. This week, portions of a taped 2011 deposition from deceased Apple founder Steve Jobs are expected to be played during the ongoing trial. 

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