The US DOJ is suing Apple over claims of antitrust
Print/DownloadApple isn’t going to give up so easily.
Key Takeaways
- US DOJ sues Apple for anti-competitive behavior, claiming it locks users to Apple products and systems only.
- Apple fights back, stating the lawsuit threatens their ability to innovate and create technology users love.
- Outcome of the court case will have a major impact on how technology is handled, potentially influencing the tech world forever.
For a while, the United States Department of Justice (US DOJ) has been working on a claim that Apple is acting on antitrust behavior. This is the accusation that a company isn’t allowing competition to properly flourish, through practices that actively dissuade users from using alternative products or services. Now, the US DOJ has moved ahead with its case, and Apple are keen to not go down without a fight.
The US DOJ moves to sue Apple for antitrust
As spotted by 9to5Mac, the US DOJ has filed against Apple on the claims that its behavior is anti-competitive. The document is public, and you can look at the PDF for yourself on the Justice.gov website.
The document starts with an event that happened back in 2010. An Apple executive talked with then-CEO Steve Jobs about a Kindle ad, which advertised that users could purchase and read their books on both iOS and Android devices, stating it was “not fun to watch”. Steve Jobs responded by stating that Apple should do better to lock people onto using Apple products and systems only, and as the report claims, the behavior has only grown from there.
The report also brings up a moment where Apple was worried about services on the cloud. Their concern was based on good device hardware becoming redundant, as even slower and older phones could run the latest apps via the cloud. The report claims that, in response to this fear, Apple “locked in users and developers while protecting its profits.”
Apple states that it will fight back
Source: Unsplash
Apple isn’t taking these claims lying down. In a statement, the tech giant said that the case put technology in danger of governmental influence:
At Apple, we innovate every day to make technology people love—designing products that work seamlessly together, protect people’s privacy and security, and create a magical experience for our users. This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology. We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it.
No matter which side you sit on, the truth is that this court case will be monumental in deciding how technology is handled in the future. A win for Apple will allow its practices to continue, while a loss will send ripples through the biggest companies that may influence the tech world forever.
