The Cupertino-based Apple has just responded to the US Department of Justice over ebook pricing fixing issue sating charges are “simply not true”. Apple told AllThingsD in a statement that the “accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true”. Two days ago the new broke against the five publishers Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Penguin, with the current status Apple joined Macmillan and Penguin saying “We’ve done nothing wrong”. Apple’s comment from spokesperson Tom Newmayr:
The Department of Justice’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 action taken by the DOJ comes after a year-long investigation that results into Apple and other publishers over the eBooks pricing issue. This suit can have a major impact on the digital publishing industry as a whole, and prices of ebooks in particular. Last month news states that Apple along with five other publishers going to face anti-trust charges from US Department of Justice over the raise in the price of electronic books. Over on which earlier The Justice Department could reach a settlement in the next few weeks with Apple and some of the major publishers suspected of colluding to push up electronic book prices.
