Apple Found Not Guilty in iPod Antitrust Lawsuit

A case against Apple regarding antitrust violations for the company’s iPod restrictions has been going on for roughly a decade. However, the case was finally closed today when the jury unanimously voted to clear Apple of the charges. 

Plaintiffs, representing a group of consumers who purchased iPods from 2006 to 2009, claimed that Apple had forced its users into iTunes software and locked out competitors. During that time period, the plaintiffs claimed that Apple had deleted songs from rival competitors and went on to use email correspondence from Steve Jobs to other Apple executives telling them to shut out other competitors, such as Music Match, from the platform.

In response to these allegations, Apple said that it was only protecting iTunes from hackers and that the deletion of non-Apple music files was done for the protection of their users. 
The plaintiffs had sought around $350 million in damages, which if Apple had been found in violation of antitrust laws, could have tripled to around $1 billion. However, the jury decided that the company had made legitimate product and security improvements to the iPod and its iTunes software.

Plaintiffs speaking to CNBC said that they will appeal the jury’s verdict and will file papers within the next thirty days.