Steve Jobs Deposition Kept Under Wraps

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) - The public will not get a chance to see a videotaped deposition of Steve Jobs, taken for an antitrust lawsuit six months before the co-founder of Apple computer died.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who presided over a recently closed Apple antitrust lawsuit , denied media requests for the tape that was played during the trial.

The class action accused the tech giant of monopolizing the digital player market and overcharging for iPods. Plaintiffs' attorneys played footage of Jobs on Dec. 5, four days into the trial.

Jobs appeared in his signature long-sleeve black pullover and answered many of the attorney's questions with: "I don't remember."

The Associated Press and CNN on Dec. 8 sought access to the deposition tape, in a motion which Apple opposed.

Rogers decided to keep the video under wraps in a ruling on Dec. 17, two days after the jury found Apple not guilty.

Rogers accepted Apple's argument that "if release of video deposition routinely occurred, witnesses might be reticent to submit voluntarily to video depositions in the future."

Rogers added: "If cameras in courtrooms were not currently prohibited, the argument might have less weight."

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