A lawsuit was filed after Apple deleted non iTunes music that users had downloaded from competing services without informing its clients.

iTunes users received messages from Apple, requiring them to restore their devices to factory settings, declaring that this was a security measure. Later, users declared that the message they received contained little information regarding this error notification, and after they followed the steps suggested by Apple, the users found their music library empty. The restoration to factory settings has deleted any songs purchased without any possibility to reclaim their purchase.

Augustin Farrugia, the company`s security director, said that this procedure was intended to protect users from malicious content and hackers, and contained little information because they were trying to avoid confusing users with detailed data.

The judge in charge of the case saw an e-mail from Steve Jobs, the Chief Executive Officer of Apple, dating from 2005, in which he learned that competitors would let iTunes users buy songs from other applications and sources and allowed them to play these songs on iPods. The e-mail contained quotes from Steve Jobs stating that “We may need to change things here”.

The competition’s case is built around speculations that Apple was trying to lock down its iTunes market in 2007 – 2009. Later in the trial, jurors have watched the testimony of Steve Jobs filmed six months before his death, which clearly stated that Apple was trying to prevent users from purchasing music from rival services. iTunes chief Eddy Cue and chief of Marketing Phil Schiller are expected to testify in this law suit that has been going on for more than a decade in the court of California.

Another testimony from a Stanford economist claims that Apple inflated the price of iPods by 350 million U.S dollar, thus suggesting that they are abusing a monopoly position in the commerce of digital music player market.

The lawyers working this case have a chance of walking home with millions of dollars if they win the case against Apple,and after receiving their fee, whatever money is left will be divided among customers that have been “cheated” by Apple, but if the company will manage to defend itself against this threat, both lawyers and customers will walk home penniless. It is said that if lawyers are successful in this trial, Apple will pay damages of at least one billion U.S dollars. Whatever the case may be, we are sure that Apple will give everyone a run for their money.