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Judge rules Apple violated antitrust law in eBook price-fixing case [updated]

Updated Jul 10th, 2013 10:11AM EDT
Apple eBook Antitrust Ruling

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A judge has found that Apple violated federal antitrust laws in an eBooks price-fixing case where the company was accused of leading a conspiracy to keep the prices of eBooks artificially high, Reuters reports. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan said that Apple will now face a trial to decide the damages it will pay as a result of violating the law to fix eBook prices. Reuters notes that publishers accused of taking part in the price-fixing conspiracy have already settled with the government out of court.

UPDATE: Apple supplied the following comment to AllThingsD in response to the court’s decision:

Apple did not conspire to fix ebook pricing and we will continue to fight against these false accusations. When we introduced the iBookstore in 2010, we gave customers more choice, injecting much needed innovation and competition into the market, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. We’ve done nothing wrong and we will appeal the judge’s decision.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.