Blog

We reported earlier that US Justice Department had filed a lawsuit against Apple and five other publishers over adopting the agency pricing model. Three of these publishers agreed to settle the case by paying millions of dollars. Apple, however, has now released a statement stating that the accusations against it are simply not true.

After three major publishers gave in to the pressure, everyone was eagerly anticipating Apple’s move. And now, Apple’s spokesman Tom Neumayr has stated, ‘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.’

Apple’s confidence in braving the pressures of this case is not unfounded. According to multiple experts, whereas the publishers did get themselves into risky waters when adopting the pricing model proposed by Apple, Apple itself hasn’t done anything illegal at all and has no reason to panic.

In fact, according to these experts, Apple will most likely brave the case and eventually win it against the Justice Department. Things may not prove so fortunate for the publishers though.

[ttjad keyword=”ipad”]