Just two days after the Department of Justice filed antitrust charges against Apple and major book publishers, Apple has responded to the claims. Contrary to the three book publishers who signed settlements immediately, Apple seems to want to fight this to the end. The other two publishers are also fighting the claims.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr:

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.

The response is similar to those of Penguin Group and MacMillan. The pricing of books and apps in Apple's store is set differently from music. The prices for books and apps are set by the publishers whereas the music is set by Apple. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. More as it comes.