Apple faces antitrust lawsuit from Department of Justice for iPhone monopoly
Apple iPhones lawsuit overview:
- Who: The U.S. Department of Justice and 16 state and district attorneys general filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Apple.
- Why: The lawsuit claims Apple uses its monopolistic smartphone power to selectively impose restrictions on competitors while undermining their apps.
- Where: The Apple lawsuit was filed in federal court in New Jersey.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and 16 state and district attorneys general filed a civil antitrust lawsuit claiming Apple uses unfair monopolistic power against competitor apps on iPhones.
New Jersey, Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin joined the DOJ in the Apple antitrust lawsuit.
“No matter how powerful, no matter how prominent, no matter how popular — no company is above the law,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco says in a statement. “Through today’s action, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to that principle.”
Apple undermines competing apps and services by imposing restrictions that hurt their operability and function, increase Apple’s market power and elicit more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses and merchants, the lawsuit claims.
Apple blocks super apps, suppresses cloud streaming, lawsuit says
Apple allegedly blocks innovative super apps with broad functionality, suppressing cloud streaming services, excluding cross-platform messaging apps, diminishing the functionality of non-Apple smartwatches and limiting third-party digital wallets.
“For years, Apple responded to competitive threats by imposing a series of ‘Whac-A-Mole’ contractual rules and restrictions that have allowed Apple to extract higher prices from consumers, impose higher fees on developers and creators and to throttle competitive alternatives from rival technologies,” Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the DOJ’s antitrust division says in a statement.
A group of lawmakers referred Apple to the DOJ’s antitrust division after the technology company disabled the new Beeper Mini app, which allowed Android users to send and receive iMessages.
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The DOJ is represented by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Andrew Ruyman, Assistant Attorney General Jonathan S. Kanter, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha G. Mekki, Deputy Assistants Attorney General Michael B. Kades and Hetal J. Doshi and Civil Conduct Task Force Assistant Chief Jonathan Lasken.
The Apple antitrust lawsuit is United States of America, et al. v. Apple Inc., Case No. 2:24-cv-04055, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.