Skip to main content

Apple must cough up $450 million in ebook price-fixing case

apple ebook settlement ibooks ios
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It seems as though the long, drawn out Apple ebook case is finally over. The Supreme Court rejected Apple’s appeal of the case, which alleges that it conspired with publishers to raise prices. Essentially, the company will have to pay the $450 million it was fined, ending the case once and for all, according to a report from Reuters.

Apple had petitioned the Supreme Court after a federal appeals court ruled that the company was guilty of fixing ebook prices last June. However, the appeal was turned away by the justices without comment, leaving the June 2015 ruling — and the $450 million fine — standing.

Recommended Videos

Of course, the case itself is nearly six years old at this point. The company was first accused of fixing ebook prices back in 2010. In 2012, 33 states and the Justice Department all sued the company, accusing it of conspiring with the likes of Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and more to set prices. Throughout the ordeal, Apple has maintained its innocence and fought tooth and nail to prove itself. The main goal of the company was to gain leverage against Amazon, which had grown a commanding lead in the ebook market at that point.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Apple suggests, however, that its actions increased competition in the ebook market, offering customers choice with the new iBook platform. Not only that, but the company also says that ebook prices have fallen since the iBook store was introduced into the market. In its filing, Apple says that a decision against it would have negative implications for creativity itself, suggesting that “disruptive entry” into stagnant markets often requires actions similar to what the company did.

As mentioned, the company will have to pay a hefty $450 million fine. Around $400 million of that fine will be paid out to ebook customers, $20 million to the states involved, and $30 million will go to legal fees. Customers who overpaid for ebooks will get credit that they can use for future ebook purchases. Even though it’s a pricy penalty, $450 million is spare change compared to the company’s net worth of around $700 billion.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
This One UI 7 update just made my Galaxy S25 Ultra way more fun
Prakhar Khanna holding the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for 10 days now, and the best and worst part about the new Galaxy flagship is its familiarity. The familiar form is good because Samsung delivered much-needed experiential upgrades such as improved battery life, better skin color temperature in cameras, and more without substantially changing the hardware.

But Samsung played it a little too safe with the Galaxy S25 Ultra instead of experimenting and trying new things. It was starting to feel like just another stale incremental update--until I installed One UI 7’s latest Home Up update. It brought new, customizable ways to interact with the phone and truly personalize it to your liking.
What's this new Home Up update about
 

Read more
Your smartwatch will soon be able to detect signs of heart failure
Apple Watch Series 8 ECG measurement.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition that affects over five million Americans. For people over the age of 65, it is the most common diagnosis when they are hospitalized. One in nine deaths has heart failure as a contributing cause, as per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Smartwatches might soon come to the rescue.

Read more
New iPad Air incoming? There’s a low stock warning
A person holding the Apple iPad Air (2024), showing the screen.

Less than a year has passed since the release of the current iPad Air. However, a new one could launch very soon. As Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes, the inventory for the popular tablet is dwindling, suggesting that a new model is set to launch.

The 2024 iPad Air was launched in May 2024, introducing a new 13-inch model alongside the traditional 11-inch model. Both versions feature Liquid Retina displays that offer vibrant colors and sharp details and are powered by the M2 chip, which provides improved performance compared to the previous generation. Beyond this, there were a few changes made between this and the previous model, which arrived in 2022.

Read more