US sues Apple, alleging it illegally monopolized the smartphone market
Enlarge / Apple CEO Tim Cook leaving the US Capitol building on Thursday, Sept 14, 2023, in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty Images | The Washington Post )
The US Department of Justice sued Apple today, alleging that the company violated antitrust laws by restricting rivals' access to iPhone features and monopolizing the smartphone market.
The lawsuit in US District Court for the District of New Jersey alleged that "Apple suppresses... innovation through a web of contractual restrictions that it selectively enforces through its control of app distribution and its 'app review' process, as well as by denying access to key points of connection between apps and the iPhone's operating system (called Application Programming Interfaces or 'APIs'). Apple can enforce these restrictions due to its position as an intermediary between product creators such as developers on the one hand and users on the other."
The DOJ is seeking an order determining that Apple has illegally monopolized the smartphone market in the US. The agency also wants the requested order to block Apple from continuing its allegedly anticompetitive practices.