A federal jury decided Tuesday that Apple didn’t compete unfairly when it sold music players and songs with copy-protection software that was incompatible with rival devices and music from competing online stores.

The jury in US District Court handed Apple a victory by rejecting a claim from attorneys for consumers and iPod resellers, who were seeking as much as $1 billion in a class-action lawsuit.

The plaintiffs argued that Apple was able to overcharge consumers for iPods by making it difficult to switch to a rival music player, as music bought from Apple’s iTunes store wouldn’t work on other players, nor would music from other stores work on iPods.

After just three hours of deliberation, the jury accepted Apple’s argument that the software provided necessary security protection and was part of a larger package of improvements that made iPods and iTunes popular with consumers.

Apple no longer uses the copy-protection software in question, so the ruling has no effect on the company’s current practices.

Plaintiffs were seeking $350 million in damages. Lawyers said they plan to appeal.