Apple Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Guilty Verdict in E-Books Antitrust Case

[MacRumors]

Apple is asking the United States Supreme Court to overturn the 2013 U.S. Appellate Court ruling that found the company guilty of conspiring with publishers to inflate the prices of e-books, reports Reuters.

Apple's petition comes following the loss of a June appeal where the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the guilty verdict and maintained Apple violated antitrust laws and colluded with five publishers - HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, and Penguin - to fix e-book prices and unreasonably restrain trade.

Apple in its petition said the June decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York contradicted Supreme Court precedent and would "chill innovation and risktaking."

"The Second Circuit's decision will harm competition and the national economy," Apple wrote.

Should the U.S. Supreme Court uphold the lower court's verdict, Apple will be forced to pay $450 million as part of a settlement with class action lawyers and state district attorneys, with $400 million of that amount earmarked for consumers. Apple reached the settlement in June of 2014 to avoid a lengthy damages trial, but the payout hinged on the outcome of the company's appeal.

Though Apple was found guilty, the company has maintained its innocence throughout the dispute. In its appeal, Apple said its efforts "kick-started competition" to deliver "higher output, lower price levels, and accelerated innovation."

Article Link: Apple Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Guilty Verdict in E-Books Antitrust Case

 

[Popeye206]

Here comes all the arm-chair lawyers with their input!

 

[thasan]

I never understood how apple got into trouble but Amazon got away with it screwing publishers and ultimately strangling the market..

 

[thasan]

Here comes all the arm-chair lawyers with their input!

Hahaha
I just requested for comments

 

[realeric]

Antitrust case killed competition.

 

[apolloa]

Oh, has judge Koh moved up to the Supreme Court now then?

You lost Apple, deal with it.

 

[Lazy]

You lost Apple, deal with it.

That's what they're doing: they're appealing.

 

[LordVic]

I never understood how apple got into trouble but Amazon got away with it screwing publishers and ultimately strangling the market..

I agree.

not that I want Apple to "get away" with it and to win their appeal

But Amazon needs to be held to the same legal standards.

 

[69Mustang]

I never understood how apple got into trouble but Amazon got away with it screwing publishers and ultimately strangling the market..

How exactly did Amazon screw the publishers?

 

[theheadguy]

Queue the whiny "lawyers are the only winners" comments.

 

[FieldingMellish]

If I get charged with running a red light, can I revisit the case and ask that my conviction be overturned?

 

[LordVic]

If I get charged with running a red light, can I revisit the case and ask that my conviction be overturned?

actually... yes.

 

[sk1wbw]

I've never understood how Apple was found guilty for this when the same ebook was the same price in the Google Play Book store.

 

[thasan]

How exactly did Amazon screw the publishers?

Price? They are so big they can demand any price and publishers had little choice.. Isn't it?. Much like the British supermarkets doing to the milk producers in U.K. ..

 

[stockscalper]

I've never understood how Apple was found guilty for this when the same ebook was the same price in the Google Play Book store.

It was the same price because Apple struck a price fixing deal with the major book publishers, which is what the lawsuit was about - breaking up the price monopoly. I was an early adopter in reading ebooks and I noticed a sharp spike in book prices after Apple's deal.

 

[LordVic]

How exactly did Amazon screw the publishers?

Amazon has been accused in the past of a few things. From Predatory pricing in order to drive other business out of the market to essentially holding publishers "hostage" by refusing to sell their materials without agreeing to their heavily Amazon sided contracts, abusing their near digital monopoly on e-book sales.

 

[dk001]

Hope the SCOTUS decides not to hear this.
This topic has already wasted enough court time.

 

[thasan]

If I get charged with running a red light, can I revisit the case and ask that my conviction be overturned?

Hahaha. This is funny )

 

[69Mustang]

Price? They are so big they can demand any price and publishers had little choice.. Isn't it?. Much like the British supermarkets doing to the milk producers in U.K. ..

That's not what happened at all. Not even close.

 

[0007776]

If I get charged with running a red light, can I revisit the case and ask that my conviction be overturned?

Yes you could, and if you show up in court and are still found guilty you could appeal it although the cost of the lawyers to do so would likely be more than the cost of just paying the ticket and you wouldn't have the best odds of getting it overturned on appeal.

 

[thasan]

Amazon has been accused in the past of a few things. From Predatory pricing in order to drive other business out of the market to essentially holding publishers "hostage" by refusing to sell their materials without agreeing to their heavily Amazon sided contracts, abusing their near digital monopoly on e-book sales.

thabks. Much better than my lame answer

 

[LordVic]

thabks. Much better than my lame answer

same answer, i'll accept it

 

[KdParker]

If I get charged with running a red light, can I revisit the case and ask that my conviction be overturned?

Yes. With the right lawyer you can.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Something like 99% of cases sent to the Supreme Court simply get declined... I think Psystar was a bigger deal than this is (the company that was selling PCs with OS X preinstalled) but they got declined by the Supreme Court... I seriously doubt the Supreme Court will bother with this.

 

[agsystems]

Here comes all the arm-chair lawyers with their input!

All I see is great business for the lawyers...