US: Verdict is in for Apple in ebooks case

The verdict is in: a US district judge found Apple, Inc. guilty of conspiring to fix prices of ebooks sold online, a decision that puts an end to a longstanding case. According to reports, US district judge Denise Cote ruled against Apple in Manhattan on Wednesday, serving a major win for the US Department of Justice.

Judge Cote further said she would schedule a future trial to establish damages sought by the 33 US states that sued Apple.

The ebooks trial began as the DOJ accused apple, along with major ebooks publishers, or conspiring to raise the online price of ebooks beginning in 2009 in conjunction with the tech giant’s release of its e-reader, the iPad tablet. The DOJ claimed the collusion aimed to undercut Amazon’s dominance in the online ebooks retail market. All five publishers – Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster – settled with the DOJ before going to trial.

Closing arguments in the case occurred on June 20. The ruling could have a major effect on the way ebooks are sold throughout the nation, though the immediate result of the case has yet to be observed.

Click here for Judge Cote’s full opinion.

Click here to read a statement from the DOJ.

Click here to read a statement from Apple, Inc.

Full Content: Reuters

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