OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) After just a few hours of deliberation, a jury in California found in favor of Apple on Tuesday in a billion-dollar class-action lawsuit over the price of its iPod music players.

The eight-member jury in U.S. District Court rejected a claim by attorneys for consumers and iPod resellers, who argued that Apple's use of restrictive software amounted to anti-competitive behavior aimed at freezing out competing makers of portable music players. Apple had argued that the software provided necessary security protection and was part of a larger package of features that made its iPods and iTunes music store popular with consumers.