Apple ordered to pay $ 450 million in the case iBooks

Accused of having conspired with several publishing houses on the price of electronic books at the launch of the iPad, Apple has been sentenced to pay a fine of $ 450 million.

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The case dates back to 2012 when Apple and five publishers are involved in a complaint, they are accused of agreement on the price of electronic books to the detriment of consumers. Behind this agreement, the Cupertino wanted to ensure the promotion of its iPad and Amazon compete.


Indeed, the AFP said that Amazon bought e-books at a wholesale rate and selected retail prices at will, if necessary at a loss. Thus he had imposed the reference 9.99 dollars to numerous titles before Apple enters the market in 2010.

40% more expensive on the iBook Store

Following this agreement, the prices were revised upwards on the iBook Store with eBooks whose price fluctuated between 12.99 and 14.99 dollars. Unlike Amazon, Apple decided to let publishers set the prices themselves and take a 30% commission.

A win-win for publishers and Apple but far from ideal for consumers, a situation that did not seem to bother Steve Jobs: "a model (...) where you set the price and we have our 30%, and where yes, the customer pays a little more " . The US firm also benefited from the ability to match the Amazon price.

Tim Cook, his successor, share the same point of view and was assured that his company had "done nothing wrong".

Four years later, Apple has yet been ordered to pay $ 450 million after the Supreme Court of the United States refused Monday to consider the appeal. Of these $ 450 million, $ 400 million will go to customers, 20 million to 30 US states that have brought civil parties and 30 million in legal fees.

The five publishers (Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC (Macmillan) and Penguin Group) They chose to settle the case amicably by paying $ 166 million.
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