The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice may sue five gargantuan U.S. publishers… and Apple. The reason? Alleged collusion to raise the price of electronic books.
According to the respected financial publication, “The Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five of the biggest U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books.”
If the sources close to the unfolding story are, indeed, correct, the Justice Department believes that Apple and the publishers Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group, Macmillan, and HarperCollins have violated federal antitrust laws.
The same source, however, maintains that settlement talks have begun and may preemptively curb a protracted legal battle. In the end, the WSJ reports, regardless of the outcome, the real winner may be consumers, who could very well see cheaper eBooks result from the possible pending crackdown.
To read the full report from the Wall Street Journal, click here.
