The U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into how Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) conducts its business operations in the music industry is reportedly expanding to several of the other electronics makers’ offerings, potentially including other offerings on its proprietary iTunes store, such as apps and video, according to a new report from the New York Post.
The report cited several un-named sources that claim that the Department of Justice is contacting “a handful of the large media and technology companies to “get their opinions on Apple”, which is quickly becoming a dominant sales force in music and other online content.
“The [Justice Dept.] is doing outreach,” one source told the paper. “You can’t dictate terms to the industry. The Adobe thing is just inviting the wrath of everybody.”
The expanded probe will reportedly involve asking questions about the terms Apple has placed for its developers who want to write applications for the iPad and other devices which make use of the iPhone OS, including the iPhone itself and the iPod Touch.
The investigation began in early May after investigators became interested in allegations that Apple has used its market power in an effort to prevent music labels from participating in exclusive music distribution deals with rival Amazon.com.
