Apple Inc. about to raise prices on e-books

Apple Inc. about  to raise prices on e-books: Apple Incorporation is about to rise the prices of its E-books  with five major publishers to raise prices of retail electronic books here we give the Details below U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan found "convincing evidence" that Apple has violated federal antitrust laws, playing a "central role" in the conspiracy with publishers to eliminate competition in the retail market and rising prices of e-book prices.

The solution can be made for significant damage. To Apple This is a victory for the U.S. Department of Justice and 33 U.S. states and territories, which the civil antitrust case.

Apple was accused of leading a conspiracy to the dominance of the e-book online store Amazon.com Inc. undermine, causing prices to rise to $ 12.99 or $ 14.99, compared with $ 9.99 that Amazon charged. Amazon once held 90 percent share of the market. "Apple has decided to join forces with the suspects publishers to increase e-book prices and the resources to do the forces," said Cote, in a judgment of 159 pages. "Without the orchestration of Apple in the conspiracy, it was not somehow."

Decision Wednesday was no surprise, given that these cats to 2-1/2 week non-jury trial began on 3 June that Apple protection may fail. Coastal ordered the court to set damages.

"This is a victory for the millions of consumers who prefer to read in electronic form, books" Bill Bair, head of the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department said in a statement. "This decision is an important step in eliminating the damage caused by the illegal actions of Apple."

Apple plans to appeal In a statement, Apple said that the claims of the plaintiffs are false and said he would appeal the decision. Cat "Apple did not conspire to e-book to fix prices," said Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr. "When we started the iBookstore in 2010, we gave customers more choice, injecting much needed innovation and competition in the market, breaking the monopoly grip on the sector of the Amazon edition. We have done nothing wrong."

Last year, Apple established a separate antitrust case over e-book prices by the European Commission, avoiding violations.  Alleged involvement began in late 2009 and continued into early 2010, with the launch of the popular iPad tablet Silicon Valley giant.

Only Apple went to trial, while publishers have agreed to pay more than $ 166 million in total in the interest of consumers.  Publishers Lagardère SCA included in the Hachette Group Inc., News Corp. HarperCollins, Pearson plc Penguin Group (USA) Book Inc., CBS Corp. Inc. Simon & Schuster and Macmillan Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH.

Baer said the decision Cat and the calculations of the publishers who have helped consumers by lowering the price of e-books. In morning trading, Apple shares fell 30 cents to $ 422.05 on Nasdaq.

Steve Berman, a partner at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro leading consumer class action lawsuit against the company, Apple, called making the cat "a very big deal." "This gives Apple, hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, and we ask," said Berman.

Steve Jobs  The strategy is Amazon Buy eBooks on wholesale and sells them at a price below cost to promote. Its Kindle reader

However, Apple joined the so-called "agency agreements" where publishers were able to set higher prices and pay of Cupertino, Calif., company a commission.  The federal government has said that it is pushed Amazon in the model, and as a result, the prices of e-books five publishers increased by 18 percent.

Evidence in the case of a letter of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs News Corp. executive James Murdoch said the government is a reflection of the will of Jobs to raise prices and to "a real asset market for e-books at $ 12.99 and $ 14.99. "  If this evidence is injured Apple Cat said. "The efforts of Apple, Steve Jobs to explain comments were not helpful," she said.

Apple has said that he never conspired with publishers to raise e-book prices or even understand that publishers may have had a conversation. Between a price increase on the eve of the iPad launch

"There is no such thing as a conspiracy by telepathy," Apple attorney Orin Snyder said during the debate, June 2013 Cote also rejected the argument that Apple, it would be unfair to distinguish as Amazon and Google Inc., among other, similar agreements with the publishers of the Agency have signed the company.  This decision allows plaintiffs to seek an injunction to prevent. Pricing conspiracies

During the process, the Ministry of Justice said the company wants to prohibit Apple from using services of modeling for two years.  The ministry also said he wants to stop Apple, for five years after the entry into force of contracts, make sure that it will offer the lowest selling price.