Bad fruit: Court upholds ruling of Apple e-book conspiracy

Amelia Havanec • Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Bad fruit: Court upholds ruling of Apple e-book conspiracy</h1>
                <h2><p>Just after launching its hyped music streaming service, Apple lost a court appeal yesterday that can cost them $450 million in a class action settlement. The ruling finds Apple guilty of conspiring with five publishers to increase e-book prices. The attempt was to curb Amazon's control of 90</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/amelia-havanec-crosscut-com/">Amelia Havanec</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Just after launching its hyped music streaming service, Apple lost a court appeal yesterday that can cost them <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/30/us-apple-ebooks-decision-idUSKCN0PA1RS20150630?ref=avalancheghost.one">$450 million</a> in a class action settlement. The ruling finds Apple guilty of conspiring with five publishers to increase e-book prices. The attempt was to curb Amazon's control of 90 percent of the market, a near-monopoly that Apple wanted to attack. Amazon set e-book prices at a competitive $9.99. So Apple allowed publishers to set their own prices for the iBook while they took a cut of the sale. That left no choice but for Amazon to raise their own prices, and the Justice Department to raise their own eyebrows.</p>
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Just after launching its hyped music streaming service, Apple lost a court appeal yesterday that can cost them $450 million in a class action settlement. The ruling finds Apple guilty of conspiring with five publishers to increase e-book prices. The attempt was to curb Amazon's control of 90 percent of the market, a near-monopoly that Apple wanted to attack. Amazon set e-book prices at a competitive $9.99. So Apple allowed publishers to set their own prices for the iBook while they took a cut of the sale. That left no choice but for Amazon to raise their own prices, and the Justice Department to raise their own eyebrows.

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By Amelia Havanec

Amelia Havanec is Crosscut's Science and Tech Fellow. She came to Washington from her home state of Connecticut by way of New York, Florida, California and Michigan in pursuit of the perfect pint. Sh