A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Apple technology company and international corporation knowingly violated an injunction intended to stop what the judge referred to as "Apple's anticompetitive conduct.

A judge referred Apple for potential criminal investigation, saying it breached an order to allow flexibility in how consumers make digital purchases from apps.

By Mike Scarcella (Reuters) -Apple violated a U.S. court order that required the iPhone maker to allow greater competition for app downloads and payment methods in its lucrative App Store and will be referred to federal prosecutors,