Judge Denise Cote said: “Without Apple’s orchestration of this conspiracy, it would not have succeeded as it did." The case was brought by the Department of Justice and 33 states. Five publishers, including HarperCollins, have already settled and paid about $164 million in damages. But Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said in a statement: 'Apple did not conspire to fix ebook pricing and we will continue to fight against these false accusations.' A further trial is already guaranteed to decide on the nature of injunctions regarding the case. 

Steve Jobs interview

As reported in the Financial Times, Bill Baer, assistant attorney-general in the anti-trust unit at the Department of Justice, said: 'Through today’s court decision and previous settlements with five major publishers, consumers are again benefiting from retail price competition and paying less for their ebooks.'  A crucial part of the evidence relates to an interview that the late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, gave to Walter Isaacson who became his biographer. In the interview Jobs appears to discuss the pricing deal. Judge Cote said: 'Apple has struggled mightily to reinterpret Jobs’s statements in a way that will eliminate their bite. Its efforts have proven fruitless.'