Apple has settled a long-running antitrust case out of court, potentially avoiding a $840 million fine. The company had been accused of colluding with publishers to artificially inflate ebook prices in the iBookstore and, by proxy, other outlets like Amazon, in a class-action suit brought on behalf of US consumers in 2012. The suit alleged that Apple’s “agency model” pricing structure, which forbade publishers from selling their content at a lower price with other retailers, was anti-competitive. In July last year, a court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, a ruling that Apple appealed. The damages hearing was due to start in July, which could have seen Apple issued with a fine of up to $840 million.
