The issue at the center of the lawsuit against Apple and the five publishers is one that has plagued virtually every crevice of the industry: e-book pricing.
The nationwide, class-action suit was announced on Tuesday and filed by Hagens Berman law firm in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of plaintiffs Anthony Petru of Oakland, Calif., and Marcus Mathis of Natchez, Miss.-who each have purchased at least one e-book for more than $9.99, following the implementation of the agency model. The suit alleges that "the publishers and Apple colluded to increase prices for popular e-book titles to boost profits and force e-book rival Amazon to abandon its pro-consumer discount pricing," according to the press release from Hagens Berman, announcing the suit.