DOJ Files Antitrust Suit Against Apple, E-Book Publishers: The Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit (PDF) against Apple and five e-book publishers on Wednesday, alleging they conspired to fix the price of e-books starting in 2009. Three of the firms (Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster) have already agreed to a proposed settlement to resolve the complaint; the other two publishers named are Penguin and Macmillan. Attorney General Eric Holder said the publishing companies met regularly in private to discuss how to raise prices and stabilize retail prices. The proposed settlement (PDF) agreements would be a victory for retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which would be free to reduce the prices on their e-book titles. The agreements also eliminate Apple's "most favored nation" status with the publishers. Feds Target Stolen Cell Phones: CQ's John Gramlich reports on a series of steps announced yesterday by the Federal Communications Commission and wireless providers aimed at discouraging the theft of cell phones, a growing problem for law enforcement officials. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he plans to introduce legislation that would make it a federal crime to tamper with a device's unique identification number. Meanwhile, the wireless industry and the FCC are teaming up to create a database to track stolen phones and make sure they're not re-used, along with a public education campaign to raise awareness of tools that can prevent the loss of information on stolen phones. The four largest national wireless providers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA) have all bought into the effort, which was commended by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce telecom subpanel.