Yesterday marked the end of the Department of Justice’s fight to stop Apple’s alleged E-books price fixing scheme highlighted in one of our recent blog posts.

While Apple maintains its innocence, Judge Denise Cote’s ruling deems the company guilty of breaking anti-trust laws through its dealings with publishing companies.

The email communication between Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch referenced in our earlier post was cited by Judge Cote as one of the factors leading to her decision.

According to The New York Times, who reported on the story, Judge Cote described Apple’s scheme as an opportunity to capitalize on publishing companies’ fear of Amazon’s hold on the E-books market.  Apple cleverly utilized the narrow time frame leading up to the release of the iPad in order to pressure publishers to participate in the scheme.

Apple plans to appeal the court’s decision and contends that its introduction of the iBookstore was a positive improvement for the E-books marketplace providing readers freedom of choice and putting an end to Amazon’s total domination of publishing.

Anti-trust laws are a common example of the types of laws broken by big businesses. However, the types and nature of anti-trust laws with regard to unfair competition can often vary. It is important to consult an attorney with questions. To learn more about the services we offer visit pattersonlawfirm.com or call (312) 223-1699.