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The U.S. Department of Justice is expanding its antitrust investigation into Apple, according to a new report. The investigation began in 2019 and focuses on whether Apple's rules and practices are anticompetitive and hinder competition.
Today’s report comes from the Wall Street Journal and saysthat the Department of Justice "has intensified work on drafting a potential antitrust complaint against Apple in recent months." It goes on to say that the investigation has "escalated" within the DOJ. Senior officials have assigned more legal counsel to the case and have increased requests for documents and consultations with other companies. The probe has gone so far that investigators are exploring ways to involve Jonathan Kanter, the head of the DOJ's antitrust division. As previous reports indicate, Kanter represented Apple opponents, including Spotify, Tile, Match, and Basecamp, before joining the DOJ.
US Department of Justice vs. Apple: A long-drawn-out battle lies ahead
The scope of the investigation is broad and focuses not only on whether Apple's App Store violates antitrust regulations but also on how iOS itself suppresses competition from outside developers:
The Justice Department's investigation focuses in part on Apple's policies for third-party mobile software on its devices, which have been at the heart of criticism of Apple's competitive practices. The Justice Department is also investigating whether Apple's iOS mobile operating system acts anticompetitively by favoring its own products over those of outside developers, the people said.
There are no details yet on when exactly the Justice Department will file its official antitrust complaint against Apple. When that happens, it will be a drawn-out battle between Apple and regulators. (Photo by Unsplash / Carles Rabada)
