Dive Summary:
- On Wednesday in Manhattan a U.S. federal judge ruled that Apple Inc illegally conspired to raise e-book prices by manipulating agreements with publishers, violating antitrust laws.
- According to Bloomberg, the company was seeking to push Amazon into raising its own prices for e-books.
- “Amazon emerges as the winner from all of the activity related to e-book pricing,” says Tom Forte with Telsey Advisory Group, based in New York.
From the article:
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said Apple lost the case, in part, because of statements by its deceased founder, Steve Jobs, that government lawyers said showed Apple was targeting Amazon. States are seeking triple damages for overcharges, according to Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen’s office. Another trial will be held to determine Apple’s penalty.
