US antitrust lawsuit: Apple warns against "judicial redesign" of the iPhone
Apple argues that the success of the iPhone is not based on a distortion of competition. The antitrust lawsuit must be dismissed.
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Apple has called on a US federal judge to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit brought against the company by the US Department of Justice in its entirety. The market success of the iPhone is based on the features popular with customers and not deliberate restrictions at the expense of competitors, Apple argues in the submission published on Thursday – there is a threat of a "judicial transformation" of the iPhone (US vs. Apple, case number 2:24-cv-04055, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey).
Apple wants to retain control over iPhone
The US Department of Justice and 16 US states accuse Apple of having an illegal monopoly on the smartphone market. The manufacturer is deliberately preventing competition and innovation with its closed platform, leading to higher prices for customers.
Apple has the right to "design and control" its products according to its own ideas, according to the company's submission. Under US antitrust law, Apple is in no way obliged to open up its platform to the ideas and conditions of third parties. In addition, Apple already grants developers and app providers "extraordinarily extensive access" to the iPhone. The lawsuit is based on a "false assumption" and complies with US competition law. Apple is also not a monopolist.
Many allegations of competition, not only in the USA
The lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice contains a long list of allegations. These include obscure accusations, including Apple's alleged suppression of "Super Apps", which bundle functionalities. This makes it difficult to switch between operating systems. However, there are also complaints about things that regulators in other regions are already taking action against, such as the limitation of the NFC interface to Apple Pay. In the European Economic Area, Apple has already committed to opening this up to other mobile payment apps to avoid a competition fine.
(lbe)