Nebraskans who bought electronic books from five publishers from April 2010 through May 2012 are eligible for almost $853,000 from an agreement to settle federal civil charges they fixed prices.
And that doesn't count what might be coming from Apple Inc., which was found liable in a civil federal court trial this week for conspiring with the publishers to fix prices of e-books.
The amount each buyer will receive varies, depending on the number and type of e-books purchased, said Shannon Kingery, spokeswoman for Attorney General Jon Bruning. Nebraska was among 33 states that pursued the price-fixing actions against the publishers and Apple.
Only individuals will get money. Business, governments, libraries, nonprofits and other entities are not included.
A website -- https://ebooksagsettlements.com/Home.aspx -- displays information on eligibility and how to file a claim.
In a ruling issued Wednesday by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Apple’s role in an e-books price-fixing scheme was found to violate antitrust laws.
The court's order was issued after a three-week civil antitrust trial before Judge Denise Cote. Apple's trial did not address its financial liability, which will be the subject of a future proceeding.
The court found Apple “played a central role in facilitating and executing” the conspiracy to raise e-book prices. In addition, “Apple’s orchestration” of the conspiracy was necessary to its success.
The five publishers in the case previously settled the states' claims against them for $166 million in compensation. The publishers were Hachette Book Group Inc., HarperCollins Publishers LLC, Simon & Schuster Inc., Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC d/b/a Macmillan and Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Nebraska joined 32 other states and the U.S. Department of Justice in the litigation. The ruling came after a two-year investigation.
The case turned on a 2010 video that showed Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg chatting with the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs after the original iPad's 2010 keynote, which introduced the iBookstore.
Mossberg asks Jobs why anyone would pay $14.99 for the same e-book they can buy for $9.99 on Amazon.
"Well, that won't be the case," Jobs responded.
Mossberg tries to clarify: "Meaning you won't be $14.99, or they won't be $9.99?
Jobs: "The prices will be the same."
The collusion began in 2009 and price-fixing took effect with the launch of the iPad in early 2010, boosting the average cost of e-books by $2 to $3 each "virtually overnight," Sharis Pozen, acting head of the Justice Department's antitrust division, said when the federal lawsuit was filed.
"'The customer pays a little more, but that's what you want anyway,'" Pozen quoted Jobs as saying at one point in negotiations with publishers.
The suit said Apple proudly described the price-fixing plan -- which gave it a guaranteed 30 percent commission on each e-book it sold through its online marketplace -- as an "aikido move," referring to the Japanese martial art.
Amazon was a big winner in the lawsuit and settlements. The suit portrayed Amazon, which makes the Kindle e-reader, as a victim of the price-fixing because they could not charge lower prices and ostensibly lost e-book sales to Apple.