By Mike Scarcella

(Reuters) – Automotive technology giant CDK Global has agreed to pay $630 million to settle antitrust claims that it caused lots of of software vendors to overpay for vehicle dealership data by restricting access.

The proposed settlement, filed on Monday night in a federal court in Madison, Wisconsin, requires a judge’s approval.

The corporate denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

Austin, Texas-based CDK, owned by Brookfield Business Partners, sells software platforms auto dealers use to run their each day sales, financing and repair operations.

Tech vendor AutoLoop and other firms included within the settlement create apps for the dealers’ management systems for inventory management, repair orders, warranty services and other functions.

AutoLoop sued CDK in 2018, accusing it of cutting off access to auto dealer systems and driving up prices vendors pay to access data for his or her apps. A judge certified the case as a category motion in July.

CDK and lawyers for the corporate didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.

The vendors had indicated they might seek damages of $490 million at a trial previously scheduled for this week. A jury award might have been tripled under antitrust law.

The vendors who brought the category motion include 243 firms that purchased data integration services since October 2013 from CDK or one among its rivals, Reynolds & Reynolds, which is just not a defendant.

Lawyers for AutoLoop and other members of the category motion at Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick called the settlement “extraordinary” in a press release and said it stemmed from “years of hard-fought litigation.” They said they might ask the court for about $200 million in legal fees.

CDK agreed to pay $100 million in August to settle a category motion by U.S. auto dealerships claiming they overpaid for the corporate’s dealer management systems.

(Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)