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.
Do you use an Apple iPhone? Let us know in the comments.
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.
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29 thoughts onDOJ hits Apple with antitrust lawsuit over iPhone monopoly
Yes we me and my husband both have iPhone. He has the new iPhone 15.
Me
Not only do we pay too much but I don’t trust Apple as a whole
& Apple IPhone freeEa a lot & I have many issues I can’t get anything from anyone with a Samsung android or anyone except iPhone also have problems w/ certain apps
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I am an android user and i cannot open attachment in messages from any one from an iphone.
I have a small business, I can’t sent or share photo, video’s to anyone that has a Android phone.
I have problems sending text, pictures etc to android users. Can’t get certain apps.
I’ve had iPhones forever with no real issues but when my friends started going to Android phones because they were cheaper we haven’t been able to message, I was told it was on their end and there was nothing I can do it’s on them.
I have an Iphone for years. Never had a problem with messages until I purchased the lastest greatest IPhone. I could not send or receive any messages from andriod phone user. I contacted Apple and they were not able to help me with this problem,. Ref me back to my carrier. Which I had to contact several times before someone was able to correct this problem.
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I’ve used Apple IPhones exclusively for the past ten plus years.