An eight-person jury has unanimously decided that Apple Inc. did not violate antitrust laws when they prevented users from playing music bought from third-party vendors on their iPods. After a nearly two-week trial, it took the jury just three hours to reach a verdict and end the decade-long lawsuit.

The plaintiffs unsuccessfully argued that Apple’s software updates prevented iPods from playing songs not bought on iTunes, which caused the cost of iPods to be higher.

Apple however argued that the reason they had closed the iPod to outside files was to ensure quality downloads, which they state had no effect on the iPod’s price.

The decision means that Apple has avoided damages of more than $1 billion. The complaint originally asked for $350 million worth of damages for a class of 8 million people, who between September 2006 and the end of March 2009 had bought certain iPod models.

“We thank the jury for their service and we applaud their verdict,” Apple said in a statement. “We created iPod and iTunes to give our customers the world’s best way to listen to music. Every time we’ve updated those products — and every Apple product over the years — we’ve done it to make the user experience even better.”

Following the verdict, Patrick Coughlin, the plaintiff’s head attorney, said that an appeal was already planned.

photo credit: Martin Krzywinski via photopin cc