Apple reaches $400 million settlement with states over ebook price-fixing

Though Apple maintains that the fix was not in , the companyhas reach a colonization deal with 33 U.S. land and territoriesover allegations of collusion in ebook pricing . That colonization , first mentioned last month , would station up to $ 400 million in payment to consumer — though it ’s not a done deal yet .

The causa in motion is one of three cases over the matter of pricing for ebooks . The first was brought in federal court by the Department of Justice , wherea judge ruled in July 2013that the company had unfairly worked with publishers to set price . Among the term of that deal was a court - name sovereign admonisher , who Apple sample and failed to remove earlier this twelvemonth , and restriction on the deals Apple can make with publishing house over the next several years . Apple , however , appealed the case in October of last year . A class natural action , related to these showcase , was also being pursued in 18 extra states .

The settlement foretell today , meanwhile , was for a case work by New York and several other country and territory seeking redress for consumers . However , the resultant of the settlement denote on Wednesday depends on the pending solicitation in the DOJ case — and no day of the month has yet been give for when that prayer will take place .

Should the decisiveness in the other case be upheld , Apple will pay off out that $ 400 million to consumers across the various states and territory . The office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman state that New York customers who overpaid for ebooks are have a bun in the oven to receive as much as 7 per centum of the resulting colony . In the case that the appeal postulate revisiting the type , a smaller settlement of $ 50 million will put on instead ; and if Apple is sack up , no money will change hand .

All this money is just ice on the cake provided by the publishers , many of whom settle independently before going to judicature . Payments from those companies have reached $ 166 million to day of the month , from all five major publishers .