Apple Wins $1B iPod Antitrust Lawsuit

A California jury has found that Apple's iTunes 7.0 did not violate antitrust laws when it restricted files bought on other music services.

After deliberating for around three hours, the eight-member jury in the U.S. District Court in Oakland unanimously found that iTunes 7.0 was an improvement over the previous version of the software. Bloomberg reports that the finding means Apple can't be held liable for hindering competition even if it hurt its rivals.

The plaintiffs, who sought $1 billion from the company, had said Apple's software updates prevented iPods from playing songs not bought on iTunes. This, they said, caused the prices of iPods to be higher than they would have otherwise been.

But Apple countered saying it had closed the iPod to outside files to ensure the quality of the downloads. This, Apple said, improved its products and was good for consumers. The company added that the decision had no effect on the price of iPods.

The Wall Street Journal quoted an attorney for the plaintiffs as saying they plan to appeal the decision.