Apple's Defense Commences in Closing Week of DOJ Trial

After a long and winding process to get to this point, we have now entered the final week of the trial born of the U.S. government's antitrust case against Apple.

Following an eventful two weeks of courtroom developments and revelations, Apple's defense team will do its thing over the next four days in hopes of fully exonerating Apple from claims that the company participated in an ebook price-fixing scheme.

On Thursday, Apple’s Eddy Cue testified in federal court to profess Apple’s innocence. “I didn’t raise prices,” said Cue, who will return to the stand today.

Among the topics they are expected to cover Monday are a dinner with Macmillan's CEO that the government finds suspicious and a "smoking gun" e-mail from Steve Jobs to Cue that the DOJ entered into evidence but which according to Cue's testimony was never sent.

According to published reports Monday, the witnesses on Apple's list reportedly include:

• Rob McDonald: the head of Apple's U.S. iBookstore
• Eric Gray, Apple's director of operations of iTunes
• Theresa Horner: head of digital content at Barnes & Noble
• Dr. Michelle Burtis, an expert witness from Cornerstone Research
• Dr. Ben Klein, professor emeritus of economics from UCLA
• Dr. Kevin M. Murphy, an economics professor at the University of Chicago.

It may take upwards of three weeks for the presiding judge to reach a decision in the matter.