U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear E-Book Appeal, Apple Will Have to Pay $450 Million Settlement

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear Apple's appeal of a ruling that it conspired to fix the price of eBooks, meaning the company will have to pay a $450 million settlement.

Reuters reports that the court's decision not to hear the case will leave in place a June 2015 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found Apple guilty of conspiring to fix e-book prices.

Apple, in its petition asking the high court to hear the case, said the June decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upholding a judge's ruling that Apple had conspired with the publishers contradicted Supreme Court precedent and would "chill innovation and risk-taking."


Publishers that were found to have conspired with Apple include Hachette Book Group Inc, HarperCollins Publishers LLC, Penguin Group Inc, Simon & Schuster Inc and Macmillan.

The agreement Apple reached with the U.S. Department of Justice has it paying $400 million to e-book consumers, $20 million to the states, and $30 million in legal fees.

Apple has yet to comment on the decision. Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.

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