US: Apple scores easy iPod victory

News broke Tuesday that after only a few hours of deliberation, a jury sided with Apple in its defense against a class action lawsuit accusing the company of violated antitrust law through its business practices regarding the iPod; a decision now rests in the hands of a jury.

Closing arguments were held Monday in the case that centered on the purpose of software updates for Apple iPods.

The more than 10-year-old legal battle was launched by a group of iPod purchasers who claim that Apple’s iPod updates were intended to prevent customers from successfully playing songs on the devices that were not downloaded straight from iTunes or a CD. The plaintiffs sought $350 million in damages, an amount that could have been tripled.

But Apple claimed there is “overwhelming” evidence that the iPod software updates were meant to improve product function and consumer experience. “We now have a plaintiff and a case asking you to hold Apple liable for innovating,” a lawyer for the technology conglomerate said during closing arguments.

The eight-person jury reportedly unanimously sided with Apple in deciding that the softwware updates were solely for the purpose of performance improvements.

Plaintiffs had struggled to push forward with their suit; after a decade, the class almost had to abandon the case when it was found that its two lead plaintiffs did not actually qualify to sue Apple for the claims because they did not purchase an iPod during the time in question by the allegations.

Apple’s motion to have the case dismissed entirely, however, failed, and the class found a last-minute lead plaintiff to save the suit. But with the jury’s findings, plaintiffs reportedly plan to appeal the desicion.

Full content: Wall Street Journal

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