By JOSH MITCHELL
Editor
River Mississippi News
The U.S. Justice Department and 16 state and district attorneys general have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple.
The complaint alleges the iPhone maker monopolized or tried to monopolize smartphone markets in violation of the Sherman Act.
Apple is being challenged civilly in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Specifically, the lawsuit charges that Apple selectively picks which developers are dealt contractual restrictions and which ones are not allowed permission to “critical access points,” a DOJ news release says.
Apple’s intent, according to the Justice Department, is to weaken “apps, products, and services” that would make the iPhone less needed by consumers.
Overall, Apple’s goal is “to extract more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others,” the release adds.
The Justice Department and state attorneys general through the civil lawsuit against Apple want to “restore competition to these vital markets on behalf of the American public.”
According to the Justice Department, consumers are forced to pay “higher prices” because Apple is in violation of antitrust laws, it adds.
“No matter how powerful, no matter how prominent, no matter how popular — no company is above the law,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated in the release.
Other Justice Department officials say power monopolies hurt the economy and stifle competition with “Whac-A-Mole” restrictions.
In the Apple case, this has allowed the California-based company to get more money in the form of higher retail prices and bigger fees on developers, and both work together to “throttle” competition, Justice Department officials assert.
The lawsuit says Apple’s actions affect a wide range of Internet Technology issues, including, “web browsers, video communication, news subscriptions, entertainment, automotive services, advertising, location services, and more.”
Apple has every incentive to extend and expand its course of conduct to acquire and maintain power over next-frontier devices and technologies.
“Apple’s net income exceeds any other company in the Fortune 500 and the gross domestic products of more than 100 countries,” the news release states.
