Apple loses attempt to dismiss state-level e-book antitrust cases

Apple has lost a bid to get a judge to dismiss antitrust lawsuits filed against it.

State attorneys general have accused the tech giant of conspiring with book publishers to fix e-book prices.

US District Judge Denise Cote, in her 24-page opinion, said that Apple presented an argument that seemed to contradict itself, CNET reports.

She added that the tech giant appears on the one hand to concede that the states have standing to seek injunctive relief against Apple, but to contest that they have standing to seek damages arising from the same conduct by Apple, the report said.

She added that Apple has failed to explain how this can be so.

According to the report, in April 2012, the Justice Department sued Apple along with five of the six largest book publishers in the US.

The tech giant and the publishers were accused of conspiring to set e-book prices and working together to break Amazon's hold on the market with its Kindle e-book reader, the report said.

After a non-jury trial, Cote concluded that Apple orchestrated a scheme with publishers to fix the prices of e-books. Apple is appealing that ruling, it addd.