( CNN ) -- For consumers , the news that the Department of Justice is suing Apple and several publishers , accusing them of price-fixing , boils down to one kitchen-table question : Will this mean my e-books will get cheaper ? The short answer ? More than likely , yes . But the long-term ramifications of the move remain murkier , with some arguing that prices will ultimately rise because of it . Wednesday 's lawsuit centers around the 2010 release of the iPad , when the government alleges Apple colluded with six major publishing houses to raise prices on digital books . At the time , Amazon 's Kindle was far and away the dominant device for e-books and Amazon forced publishers to sell most books on the devices for $ 9.99 . Publishers argued that price was too low and , according to the Justice Department , went to Apple in 2009 looking for a way to force Amazon 's hand . iPad books ultimately sold for closer to $ 12.99 ; as part of their deal with Apple , publishers only offered their books to other retailers at the same prices . After a couple of days , Amazon caved and allowed publishers to set their own prices as well . `` This action drove up e-book prices virtually overnight , '' said Sharis Pozen , head of the DOJ 's antitrust division , at a news conference on Wednesday . `` Let me be clear : When companies enter agreements that prevent price competition , that is illegal . '' The three publishers who have already settled with the government -- HarperCollins , Simon & Schuster and Hachette -- agreed to tear up current contracts and renegotiate pricing with outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble , whose Nook is one of the other most popular e-readers . So , what happens now ? Amazon wasted no time suggesting that its prices will be dropping soon . `` This a big win for Kindle owners and we look forward to being allowed to lower prices on more Kindle books , '' an Amazon spokesman said via e-mail . That , too , will presumably lead to lower prices . And it only stands to reason that Apple would have to eventually follow suit . Apple declined to comment to CNN for this story . But some say Amazon 's lower prices have been the problem all along . Scott Turow , a best-selling author and president of the Authors Guild , echoes publishing-house complaints . Calling Amazon `` the Darth Vader of the literary world , '' Turow said in an op-ed piece for Bloomberg last month that an Apple lawsuit would tilt the field too far in Amazon 's favor . `` If we reinstate the status quo before Apple 's ... breakthrough , then bookstores and publishers are going to be the first casualties , '' he wrote . `` Right behind them will be readers , who will see the diversity of titles and authors diminish while leading titles get more expensive . '' The argument goes like this : By selling most new e-books for $ 9.99 , Amazon is setting a price that 's too low for other competitors to match in a price war . If that eventually drives the competition away , Amazon ( which is already projected to account for more than half of all U.S. book sales by the end of this year ) would be essentially unchecked and able to set whatever prices it wants . The current landscape `` looks like a more robust and competitive market , as opposed to the world we will be left with if the Justice Department paves the way for Amazon to return to its predatory practices , '' Turow wrote .
DOJ sanctions against Apple will likely lower e - book prices -- at least for now . Government says it conspired with publishers to drive up book prices . Amazon , which sold books cheaper for the Kindle , says its prices will soon drop . Some legal settlements will tilt field too far in Amazon 's favor .