Submitted by Jon Reed on
A jury on Tuesday unanimously found Apple not guilty in the decade old antitrust suit that accused Apple of creating a monopoly through iTunes updates that disallowed music purchased from competitors.
At issue were iPods issued from 2006 through 2009, which the plaintiffs argued would only play music purchased on iTunes or downloaded from CDs, not music purchased from competing services. Apple argued that its updated iTunes version found on the devices aimed to increase security and create a better experience for iPod users.
The trial contained several twists, including the dismissal of two plaintiffs who, it was revealed, never even owned iPods from the time period in question. The jury agreed with Apple that its improvements to iTunes were legitimate, and delivered its verdict after just three hours of deliberation that capped a week long trial.
The plaintiffs had sought damages on the order of $350 million, which could have ballooned to $1 billion had Apple been found guilty of breaking antitrust laws.