Apple: we broke Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry

Almost 48 hours after the US Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and five publishers over alleged ebooks price fixing, Apple decided to break the silence and go on the record about the situation.

In a comment made to AllThingsD, Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr defends the company’s position, claiming the following:

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.

It’s interesting to see Apple commenting on current legal matters, something the company rarely, if ever, did during Steve Jobs’ reign. This is just a side note though.

The important piece of information here is that Apple feels confident about this.

Earlier today, we reported about antitrust experts who claimed the DOJ has a very weak case against Apple. And with Amazon holding 80% of the ebook market, we fail to see how the DOJ will successfully prove Apple’s wrong doings. If anything, Apple’s way is better for everyone, especially Apple, of course.