Apple likely to face US Justice Department antitrust lawsuit
Apple is likely to face a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit soon, with a new report indicating that the department's two-year-old investigation of the company has recently accelerated.
Credit: Laurenz Heymann/Unsplash
The Department of Justice reportedly ramped up its Apple probe over the summer of 2021, with DOJ lawyers questioning Apple, as well as its customers and competitors, The Information reported on Monday.
That "flurry of activity" has included a new round of subpoenas that were sent to Apple business partners over the summer, sources said.
At least one source noted that the investigation is very likely to lead to an antitrust lawsuit, though the specifics of the complaint are still up in the air. Additionally, the DOJ has assigned more staff to the probe as department lawyers uncover what they believe are "serious issues."
The Justice Department first launched an investigation into Apple's business practices in 2019, when federal regulators ramped up their scrutiny of Big Tech.
Antitrust investigations of the type targeting Apple can take years to complete. After an investigatory period, DOJ lawyers will submit a recommendation to sue. The Apple case has yet to reach that point, and the timing could also be affected by the pending Senate confirmation of incoming DOJ antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter.
The department's investigation is also said to be undeterred by the recent decision in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. Apple largely fended off Epic Games' complaints, and the judge presiding over the case ruled that Apple was not in violation of federal antitrust regulations.
In addition to the investigation in the U.S., Apple is also facing an antitrust probe in Europe after Spotify levied a complaint concerning Apple Music
Read on AppleInsider
Credit: Laurenz Heymann/Unsplash
The Department of Justice reportedly ramped up its Apple probe over the summer of 2021, with DOJ lawyers questioning Apple, as well as its customers and competitors, The Information reported on Monday.
That "flurry of activity" has included a new round of subpoenas that were sent to Apple business partners over the summer, sources said.
At least one source noted that the investigation is very likely to lead to an antitrust lawsuit, though the specifics of the complaint are still up in the air. Additionally, the DOJ has assigned more staff to the probe as department lawyers uncover what they believe are "serious issues."
The Justice Department first launched an investigation into Apple's business practices in 2019, when federal regulators ramped up their scrutiny of Big Tech.
Antitrust investigations of the type targeting Apple can take years to complete. After an investigatory period, DOJ lawyers will submit a recommendation to sue. The Apple case has yet to reach that point, and the timing could also be affected by the pending Senate confirmation of incoming DOJ antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter.
The department's investigation is also said to be undeterred by the recent decision in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. Apple largely fended off Epic Games' complaints, and the judge presiding over the case ruled that Apple was not in violation of federal antitrust regulations.
In addition to the investigation in the U.S., Apple is also facing an antitrust probe in Europe after Spotify levied a complaint concerning Apple Music
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
The DOJ would lose an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, just like Epic will lose again.
The DOJ should not waste taxpayer money to support sore loser corporations.
Are we allowed to not say that? Cause I didn't.
( yes i realize DOJ and congress are 2 different entities but they appear to slurp from the same trough)
I wonder, are these guys really not tired of always chasing on Apple? In the same time, the very same guys are doing nothing against companies like Google and Facebook, which business model is just based on a constant breach of users privacy.
Thanks for keeping us all honest here.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/10/23/google-and-facebook-worked-to-beat-safaris-privacy-tools
Personally I'm OK with countries around the world keeping big tech honest thru laws and investigations, and if breaking up a few of them is the right answer so be it. There is so much wealth and power held by a small handful of companies who increasingly act as tho they should answer to no one, with the possible (!) exception of shareholders.
My understanding was that in this particular court case, Apple was found not to be a monopoly because Epic hadn't managed to prove to the judge that it was and the judge left the door open to that stance possibly changing.
That was one specific case among a myriad of ongoing cases around the globe.
Far too early to draw definitive conclusions.