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An evenly divided U.S. Supreme Court on Monday affirmed a lower court's decision on the pricing of products made outside the United States -- a ruling that textbook companies had urged the justices to endorse. The 4-4 ruling, from which Associate Justice Elena Kagan had recused herself, came in a legal fight between Omega, the watch manufacturer, and Costco, the wholesale chain store, over the sale of imported versions of products at prices lower than Omega charges for its own U.S.-made products. Textbook companies had feared -- and librarians and advocates for students had hoped -- that a ruling for Costco could open the way to the flooding of the U.S. market with the less-fancy editions that textbook companies have produced for students in poorer countries. The court's split ruling means that it has much less weight than a decision with a clear majority in favor, and leaves many of the issues to be decided another day.
