Governments all around the world are really worried about these tech monopolies, and the extent of control they have in people’s daily lives. Back in 2019, the Justice Department, after failed negotiations, decided to open antitrust investigations against Apple and Google.
Google is already under investigation for a number of things, and just last year, over 17 US states signed off on the lawsuit. Now it seems even Apple will join the fold, as Justice Department lawyers are in the early stages of filing an antitrust lawsuit against the company.
Still, the Justice Department has made no decisions whether or when to sue Apple, the world’s most valuable public company, cautioned that person and one other familiar with the probe — and it’s still possible no case will be filed. Both were granted anonymity to discuss a confidential investigation.
– Excerpt from Politico
Although according to Politico, which broke the story first, the Justice Department isn’t so sure whether they will be going after Apple. It’s not like they don’t have anything to go by, as they are investigating these tech giants from 2019.
Moreover, Apple has a near monopoly on the distribution of apps on their platform through their own App Store, and many developers have publicly called out the company before on this practice.
The DOJ prosecutors wanted to wrap up their investigation into the two tech companies, Apple and Google, by December 31st 2021. But certainly their timeline has shifted a bit, as the DOJ is still preparing to sue Google as early as next month.
To date, much of the attention on a potential Justice Department case against Apple has focused on its App Store, the only way for users to download applications on iPhones and iPads. But the case DOJ is now considering extends well beyond the Apple-controlled payment system and the high commissions that have drawn the ire of software developers for years, according to the individuals.
– Another excerpt from Politico
If and when the US Department of Justice files a lawsuit, it will likely encompass more components of Apple’s business practices, than just app distribution. The company has faced a lot heat recently for making repairs of their devices harder, requiring users to get expensive repairs from an official Apple partner or pay up for AppleCare. Apple likely anticipated this and started a self service repair program last year, but it’s still very highly controlled by the company and many devices have not yet joined the program.
