Well, that was sudden. Just a couple of weeks into the expected couple of months a ruling might take, Judge Denise Cote has issued a 160-page ruling (PDF) finding Apple guilty of violating anti-trust laws in colluding with publishers to raise e-book prices. A sentencing hearing will be held later. I haven’t had time to go through the ruling completely yet—I’m still at work, on break—but it looks like she’s put a lot of thought into it.
Needless to say, Apple will appeal, so this won’t be over for some time. But in the meanwhile, here’s some more lovely schadenfreude to enjoy.