Apple has now publicly responded to accusations that it colluded with publishers to fix e-book prices. In a statement released late Thursday, the company says the launch of its iBookstore in 2010—along with the original iPad—not only brought competition to the market, it also broke "Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry."

"The [Department of Justice]'s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true," Apple told several news outlets. "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 statement comes just days after the DoJ went public with its antitrust lawsuit against Apple and a number of e-book publishers, quickly followed by a similar suit filed by 16 states. HarperCollins, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster have already agreed to a settlement with the DoJ, while Apple, Penguin Group, and Macmillan have so far held out. Apple clearly feels that the agency model is fairer than Amazon's old wholesale model, which allowed Amazon to determine prices without any input from publishers. When this issue came to a head in 2010, publishers argued that Amazon was hurting the industry by underpricing their products—Amazon eventually caved, and e-book prices have generally gone up as a result.

Apple's statement is echoed by Macmillan and Penguin Group, who each released their own comments on the suit this week. "Let me start by saying that Macmillan did not act illegally. Macmillan did not collude," Macmillan CEO John Sargent said. "After careful consideration, we came to the conclusion that the terms could have allowed Amazon to recover the monopoly position it had been building before our switch to the agency model. We also felt the settlement the DOJ wanted to impose would have a very negative and long term impact on those who sell books for a living, from the largest chain stores to the smallest independents."

Penguin Group CEO John Makinson agreed. "A responsible company does not choose a path of litigation with US Government agencies without carefully weighing the implications of that course of action. Nonetheless, countless hours discussing this issue with colleagues here at Penguin, as well as with our parent company, Pearson plc, have not led any of us to the view that we should settle this matter," Makinson said. "We have held strongly to this view for two, and only two, reasons. The first is that we have done nothing wrong. […] The second, and equally powerful, reason for our decision to place this matter in the hands of a court is that we believed then, as we do now, that the agency model is the one that offers consumers the prospect of an open and competitive market for e-books."

It certainly sounds like Apple, Macmillan, and Penguin Group are planning to stand their ground against the DoJ on this issue, even if it means long and costly litigation. Amazon, for its part, comes off as giddy in response to the lawsuits: "This is a big win for Kindle owners, and we look forward to being allowed to lower prices on more Kindle books," the company said in a statement.

Listing image by Photograph by Rich Brooks