Apple, which has been in litigation since 2009 over fixing the prices of e-books, lost the legal battle on Wednesday (July 10). A Reuters report says a federal judge held Apple Inc guilty of violating the federal Sherman antitrust law by playing a "central role" in a conspiracy with five major publishers to eliminate retail price competition and raise e-book prices sold on the iPad. The U.S. District Judge, Denise Cote, ordered a trial on damages.
According to the 159-page judgment, "Apple chose to join forces with the publisher defendants to raise e-book prices and equipped them with the means to do so. Without Apple's orchestration of this conspiracy, it would not have succeeded as it did." It added that the conspiracy resulted in the prices of some e-books rising considerably.
Apple had been denying the allegations so far.
The five publishers named in the conspiracy had all settled the case for $166 million combined, but Apple continued to challenge it.
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