Although the U.S. Department of Justice is mostly aiming its scope at e-book monopolies as a whole, Apple also appears to be in the government’s sights -- but Cupertino is fighting back with a statement pointing the finger right back in Amazon’s direction.
AllThingsD is reporting that Apple has broken their silence on the U.S. Department of Justice’s move earlier this week to include the iPad maker in its antitrust lawsuit against e-book publishers.
“The DOJ’s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr tells AllThingsD. “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.”
If the company’s statement sounds familiar, that’s probably because publishers Penguin Group and MacMillan have largely towed the same line as two of the five publishers targeted by the lawsuit. The remaining three -- HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster -- moved quickly to sign settlements with the DOJ shortly after the antitrust suit was announced on Wednesday.
Judging from Apple’s statement, it sounds like the company won’t be so quick to roll over and show their belly to the Feds when it comes to e-book pricing.
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Bownse
April 13, 2012 at 11:27am
The issue isn't monopolies as they are legal (certain constraints exist). This issue... and the case against Apple and the listed publishers) is price fixing. A very different kettle of fish.
Apple's statement intentionally obfuscates the issue.
brandonwalkermedia
April 13, 2012 at 2:28pm
Tell me this how is it PRICE FIXING to let publishers SET THERE OWN PRICE vs. you give me your book i set the price? This is the Gov. stepping in again to regulate a growing market!
