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The federal government is suing Apple.
The landmark civil lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, accuses Big Tech giants of violating antitrust laws through their alleged monopoly over the smartphone market. The Justice Department alleges that Apple “faces competitive threats by imposing a reshaping set of rules and restrictions on its App Store guidelines and developer agreements.” Alternatives that would allow Apple to charge higher fees, stifle innovation, provide a less secure or degraded user experience, and reduce competitiveness. ”
The government claims the company is essentially “locking in users and developers.”[ing] and deepen[ing] The competitive moat surrounding the iPhone. ”
At a press conference Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland cited making it more difficult to send messages to users with non-Apple phones as an example of Apple’s “anticompetitive conduct.” An iPhone user who has tried to include his Android users in his texts knows this struggle all too well.
“If left unchecked, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly,” Garland added in a statement. “The Department of Justice will vigorously enforce antitrust laws that protect consumers from higher prices and fewer choices. That is the Department’s legal obligation and that is what the American people expect and deserve. be.”
Apple responded Thursday, calling the lawsuit “false on the facts and law.”
“This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that make Apple products stand out in a fiercely competitive marketplace,” company spokesman Fred Sainz said in a statement. “If successful, it would impede our ability to develop technology at the intersection of hardware, software, and services that people have come to expect from Apple.”
Apple has long been under government scrutiny over monopoly issues. Just weeks ago, the company was fined nearly $2 billion by the European Union for its efforts to stifle music streaming competition.
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