This morning I got the settlement details from the class action suit against Apple for selling gift cards that were based on a number of songs with an assumed $0.99 price even after the price increase of many songs to $1.29. (note, I’ve already redeemed my code, but nice try anyway!)
Here are a couple of snippets from the FAQ:
First the background behind the lawsuit:
The Lawsuit claimed that Apple advertised, distributed, and sold gift cards which stated that songs could be purchased at Apple’s online iTunes Store for a price of 99¢ per song. It further alleged that in April 2009, Apple raised the price of certain songs at the iTunes Store from 99¢ to $1.29 and that 99¢ iTunes Gift Card holders who purchased $1.29 songs were overcharged.
And then the settlement:
6. What does the settlement provide?
Apple has agreed to provide an iTunes Store Credit in the amount of $3.25 to all Settlement Class Members who qualify and submit a valid Claim Form. In exchange for their time in prosecuting this action and creating a benefit for the Class, Class Counsel is entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees. Apple has also agreed not to oppose an award of attorney’s fees and verified costs to Class Counsel in an amount not to exceed $2,117,500.00 and service awards not to exceed $2,500.00 each to the three named plaintiffs. The settlement distribution process will be administered by an independent claims administrator (“Claims Administrator”) approved by the Court.
In other words, if you got your settlement claim submitted in time you should expect a $3.25 iTunes credit – which is about the same as refunding the $1.29->$0.99 difference for 10 songs.