FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS ADVISORY
July 16, 2014
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Claire Haynes (334) 242-7351
Page 1 of 1
AG STRANGE REACHES AGREEMENT WITH APPLE
ON E-BOOK PRICE-FIXING DAMAGES CLAIMS
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Luther Strange today announced a
proposed settlement of claims for monetary relief against Apple Inc. related to its
participation in a price-fixing conspiracy in the market for E-books. The
settlement agreement, which remains subject to approval by the U.S. District
Court for the Southern District of New York, would resolve claims for consumer
damages brought by Texas and 32 other states and territories, as well as states’
civil penalty claims.
Pursuant to the terms of the settlement, the amount to be received by
consumers is contingent upon the resolution of Apple’s appeal of the District
Court’s July 2013 finding that Apple violated the antitrust laws by orchestrating
a conspiracy with five publishers to artificially raise prices for E-books between
2010 and 2012. That appeal is currently pending before the United States Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit. Consumers nationwide (including those
represented by private counsel in a related class action) will receive $400 million
if the court’s ruling is ultimately affirmed. If the appellate courts do not affirm
the court’s ruling, the settlement provides for a smaller recovery or no recovery if
Apple is ultimately determined not to have violated the antitrust laws.
E-book purchasers nationwide have already received compensation from
$166 million in settlement funds paid by the five publishers involved in the
conspiracy -Penguin Group (USA), Inc. (now part of Penguin Random House);
Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC d/b/a MacMillan; Hachette Book Group Inc.;
HarperCollins Publishers LLC; and Simon & Schuster Inc.
–30–
501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov
