Lawsuit threatens the integration of software and services on iPhones
Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and 16 state attorneys general announced an antitrust lawsuit against Apple targeting the integration of Apple’s software and services on iPhones. The sweeping lawsuit touches on a range of Apple products and policies, including the company’s secure payments system, its moderated app store, and its exclusive iMessage service.
“Consumers who buy iPhones like Apple’s highly curated mobile ecosystem,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “That’s not an antitrust violation, that’s why millions of people buy iPhones for security and ease of use. If DOJ forced Apple to open up its software and hardware, it would make iPhones more like Androids, depriving consumers of choice between two very different types of device.”
The Justice Department and many of the companies backing DOJ’s lawsuit spent years lobbying Congress to pass the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) and Open App Markets Act (OAMA), which would have banned Apple and other tech companies from offering integrated services to consumers. With those bills now stalled in Congress, DOJ’s latest lawsuit against Apple tries once more to prosecute Apple for its integrated software and hardware ecosystem, albeit without a solid legal basis.