Apple and Holtzbrinck Publishers being sued by U.S. government over electronic books

NEW YORK — The U.S. government has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc. and book publishers Wednesday. It says the publishers conspired with Apple to raise retail electronic-book prices to limit competition.

The government also filed papers saying it has reached a settlement with publishers Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster.

It says it will proceed with its lawsuit against Apple and other publishers, including Holtzbrinck Publishers, doing business as Macmillan, and The Penguin Publishing Co. Ltd., doing business as Penguin Group.