Apple’s ongoing legal battles with governments in the EU and the United States are slowly churning their way through the courts. Way back in March, the U.S. Department of Justice joined with 16 state attorneys to an antitrust suit against Apple alleging that control over iOS hinders iPhone owners from obtaining apps outside of Apple-approved channels.
This week, Apple finally responded via a court filing, saying that the antitrust lawsuit “bears no relation to reality.” Within the filing, Apple requested that the federal judge toss out the suit.
“The implausibility of the government’s claim that Apple’s conduct has eroded smartphone competition is underscored by the complaint’s implicit recognition that the smartphone market exhibits ongoing innovation and vigorous competition,” Apple argued in its filing.
The lawsuit claims Apple is a monopolist by making it hard to switch to different phones, hindering middleware, throttling innovation and hindering communication in iMessage.
“Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate the antitrust laws,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said when announcing the lawsuit back in May. “We allege that Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market, not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law. If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.”
As reported by Bloomberg, Apple denies the monopolist allegations. The company argued that it has set the terms for developers to access iOS but does not interfere with their dealings with rivals like Samsung and Google.
“Apple faces robust competition from other smartphone manufacturers around the world, including Google and Samsung,” Apple lawyers argued in court this week.
If the government wins the lawsuit, it could introduce significant changes to iPhones and iOS. However, we still have months, if not years left before this suit gets resolved.
And Apple isn’t alone in this. Google and Meta also face lawsuits or a need to comply with new strict laws from the EU. The U.S. lags behind on laws meant to restrict Big Tech, but President Joe Biden’s Justice Department has been more aggressive than previous administrations when it comes to monopolies and tech.
US District Judge Julien Neals, a Biden appointee, will hold a hearing on Apple’s dismissal request later this year. It’s no surprise that Apple is requesting a dismissal — most companies do, but it’s rare that a judge will dismiss cases brought by the government.