Ruling May Help Internet Firms Get Access to Stock Data

At first blush the two leading U.S. stock exchanges won a sweeping victory in a long-running legal battle over market data - the stock quotes, share prices and other trading information that are highly prized in the electronic marketplace. But a ruling by the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit may also have opened the door for the Internet companies, brokers and others in the case to achieve a decade-old goal of cutting the fees the exchanges charge for the data.