--- title: There's a Huge "If" in Apple's e-Book Settlement description: This post is in partnership with Fortune, which offers the latest business and finance news. Read the article below originally published at Fortune.com. U.S.A. v.... canonical: https://time.com/2889467/apple-ebook-settlement/ author: Philip Elmer-DeWitt article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-17T13:09:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:45:50.591Z article:section: World og:title: There's a Huge "If" in Apple's e-Book Settlement og:description: U.S.A. v. Apple, the e-book antitrust suit that Apple lost so spectacularly last year, is back in the news. og:url: https://time.com/2889467/apple-ebook-settlement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f93b6863e02efbb/698695c035ba6f8a5bc02607/apple.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook addresses the crowd during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2013 in San Francisco og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: There's a Huge "If" in Apple's e-Book Settlement twitter:description: U.S.A. v. Apple, the e-book antitrust suit that Apple lost so spectacularly last year, is back in the news. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f93b6863e02efbb/698695c035ba6f8a5bc02607/apple.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # There's a Huge "If" in Apple's e-Book Settlement by [Philip Elmer-DeWitt](/author/philip-elmer-dewitt/) ## Philip Elmer-DeWitt Jun 17, 2014 1:09 PM CUT  Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook addresses the crowd during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2013 in San Francisco, California June 10, 2013\. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTX10IYJ Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook addresses the crowd during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2013 in San Francisco, California June 10, 2013\. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTX10IYJStephen Lam—Reuters by [Philip Elmer-DeWitt](/author/philip-elmer-dewitt/) ## Philip Elmer-DeWitt Jun 17, 2014 1:09 PM CUT  This post is in partnership with Fortune, which offers the latest business and finance news. Read the article below originally published at [Fortune.com](http://fortune.com/2014/06/17/the-big-if-in-apples-e-book-settlement/ "undefined"). U.S.A. v. Apple, the e-book antitrust suit that Apple lost so spectacularly last year, is back in the news. Apple has struck a deal with the states attorneys general who had demanded hundreds of millions of dollars in damages on behalf of book buyers in the their states. By settling, the two sides avoided a jury trial that was set to begin next month. But there’s a big “if” in the letter the parties submitted to U.S. District Judge Denise Cote Monday — along with a sealed document that outlined the terms of the deal. No money will change hands until Apple’s appeals of Judge Cote’s controversial ruling – which it has said it will take to the Supreme Court, if necessary — is exhausted. [For the rest of the story, head to Fortune.com](http://fortune.com/2014/06/17/the-big-if-in-apples-e-book-settlement/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2889467/apple-ebook-settlement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2889467/apple-ebook-settlement/"},"headline":"There's a Huge \"If\" in Apple's e-Book Settlement","datePublished":"2014-06-17T13:09:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:45:50.591Z","description":"This post is in partnership with Fortune, which offers the latest business and finance news. Read the article below originally published at Fortune.com. 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