Two days after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple for “colluding with publishers” to raise e-book pricing, Apple has responded by denying the accusation, and claiming that it’s Amazon who has a stranglehold on publishers, not Apple.
Apple provided the following statement to AllThingsD:
The DOJ’s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true. The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. Since then customers have benefited from eBooks that are more interactive and engaging. Just as we’ve allowed developers to set prices on the App Store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore.
The response is similar to those offered by several of the publishers involved. Legal experts have also spoken out on the issue, suggesting that the Department of Justice is unlikely to succeed, and that Apple will probably be acquitted of any antitrust charges over their e-book pricing scheme.
Penguin Group, MacMillan, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster are all included publishers in the DOJ’s claim of collusion. Experts agree that Apple will likely be acquitted of any antitrust charges.