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In a decision that could start an e-book price war in the publishing industry, a federal judge on Thursday approved a settlement between the Justice Department and three major publishers in a civil antitrust case that accused the companies of collusion in the pricing of digital books.

The Justice Department cited a lack of price competition when it filed the suit in April against five major publishers and Apple, accusing them of conspiring to raise the cost of e-books and causing consumers to pay tens of millions more than they otherwise would have.

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