The US Department of Justice accused Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market and filed a lawsuit against the company
The United States Department of Justice, together with the attorneys general of 16 states, has charged Apple Inc. in antitrust violations. According to the lawsuit, Apple restricts consumers’ ability to choose technologies by using its dominant position in the market of smartphones and iPhone applications. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that such actions of the company not only harm competition but also restrict the rights of consumers and developers.
For its part, Apple believes that the lawsuit jeopardizes its operating principles and ability to create innovative products. The company argues that the plaintiffs’ court victory could lead to restrictions on their ability to develop technologies that have close integration between hardware, software, and services.
This is the third lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Apple in the last 14 years regarding antitrust violations. The previous investigations, launched in 2019, were initiated by developers’ complaints about high fees for placing applications on the App Store and restrictions on offering their services to users bypassing the official app store.
The market’s reaction to the lawsuit was swift: Apple shares fell 3.7% in New York on Thursday, although their value has risen by 8.3% over the past year. Such events call into question not only the company’s financial position, but also the future of the technology market as a whole, where open competition is a key factor in innovation.
