“Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate antitrust laws,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Unchallenged, Apple will only continue to entrench its smartphone monopoly.”
Apple logo at its store in New York
According to Reuters, the US Department of Justice alleges that Apple uses its market power to extract more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses and entrepreneurs.
The civil lawsuit accuses Apple of engaging in illegal smartphone monopolies, maintained by imposing contractual restrictions and denying developers crucial access.
Apple has faced antitrust investigations and rulings in Europe, Japan and South Korea, as well as lawsuits from the company's rivals like Epic Games.
With this lawsuit, Apple joins a list of major tech companies being sued by US regulators, including Alphabet's Google, Meta and Amazon. The lawsuits took place during the administrations of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
In a statement the same day, Apple said the US Justice Department's lawsuit was "wrong on both fact and law" and that the company would vigorously appeal. The company said the lawsuit threatened its corporate image and the principles that have helped differentiate Apple products in a fiercely competitive market.
“If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple, where hardware, software and services come together,” the company said.
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