美国司法部指称，苹果和以上几家图书出版商在前者发布iPad平板电脑的同时，出台了一种“代理制”商业模式，让出版商确定图书零售价格，从而把畅销书单价抬高了2至5美元。美国司法部补充表示，苹果竭力主张一项“最惠国”条款，根据此条款，这些出版商答应不以更低的价格在别处销售电子书(同时每笔销售向苹果支付相当于书价30%的佣金)，从而迫使其他图书零售商接受同样的条款。
Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon and Schuster settled with the DoJ, leaving Apple, Macmillan and Penguin to fight in court. Not all of the publishers were immediately available for comment, but have previously denied conspiring to raise prices and argue the “agency” model promoted competition by challenging Amazon dominance .
阿歇特、哈珀柯林斯和西蒙与舒斯特同美国司法部达成了和解，剩下苹果、麦克米伦和企鹅三家上庭迎战。我们一时之间未能联系到上述所有出版商请其置评，但它们早先曾否认串通抬价，并辩称“代理制”模式挑战了亚马逊的垄断地位，促进了竞争。
The US suit claims that Steve Jobs, Apple’s late chief executive, personally facilitated the agency model. “Apple clearly understood that its participation in this scheme would result in higher prices to consumers,” the suit says. It also quotes Jobs as saying that “the customer pays a little more, but that’s what you [publishers] want anyway”. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
美国司法部的诉状称，已故的苹果前首席执行官史蒂夫•乔布斯(Steve Jobs)也为促成代理制出了一把力。诉状写道：“苹果显然明白，它参与这一计划将导致消费者支付更高的价格。”诉状还提到，乔布斯曾说过这样的话，“消费者是要付多一点钱，但那不正是你们(出版商)所希望的吗”。苹果的一名发言人拒绝置评。
