The apple brand is in the sights of the White House. The American government took Apple to court on Thursday March 21 for "anti-competitive and monopolistic practices" linked to the iPhone and the constraints set by the Californian group for application developers.
While Apple was most criticized in recent years for forcing third-party companies to go through its app store and pay significant commissions on all transactions, this legal action focuses on other aspects of the app store. iPhone ecosystem, according to a document released Thursday by the Department of Justice.
“All the decisions taken by Apple have established and strengthened the defenses protecting its monopoly in the field of smartphones,” argues the American government, which joined forces with prosecutors from several states to take the case to federal civil justice in New Jersey.
In doing so, Apple harmed "users, developers, and other parties who helped make iPhone what it is today," the subpoena continues.
Non-compliance with competition legislation
According to the Department of Justice, the Cupertino (California) group has in fact prevented or disrupted the creation and offering of "streaming" services on iPhone, but also of digital wallets capable of being used on several platforms .
It has also obstructed the development of messaging services that can be used on several media, and voluntarily limited the possibilities of using its connected watches with devices other than the iPhone.
“Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate competition laws,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“This legal action threatens who we are and the principles that distinguish Apple products in a fiercely competitive market,” the company responded in a statement sent to AFP.
If the procedure resulted in a decision binding on Apple, “it would set a dangerous precedent, allowing the government to weigh heavily in the design of consumer technology,” the company said.
Stricter European legislation
Apple has been accused for several years of imposing drastic conditions on companies that offer services on the iPhone, and of preventing them in particular from creating their own application store to directly monetize their content.
The European Digital Markets Regulation (DMA), which came into force in mid-March, requires six of the largest technology companies, including Apple, to open their platforms to competition.
See also Google, Apple, Facebook: what changes with the “DMA”
In response to this text, Apple said that it would soon allow its users in the European Union to download applications directly via websites, without going through its App Store application store.
In the United States, video game giant Epic Games took Apple to court in 2020 to challenge the obligation for any application publisher to go through the App Store.
Also read Apple vs Epic: the 30% of the discord
In September 2021, a federal judge in Oakland (California) ruled that the Cupertino group's digital ecosystem was not a monopoly, but ordered Apple to no longer prevent third-party companies from going through their own system of payment for purchases made with their apps.
The Apple brand proposed an alternative option authorizing these external purchases, but providing that it would continue to charge a commission of 12% to 27% on each transaction, compared to 30% on the App Store.
On Wednesday, Microsoft, Meta, X and the dating application specialist Match Group sent a text to the same federal court denouncing this new formula and calling on the courts to intervene. Apple, for its part, believes it has “complied with the injunction” of the court.
On the New York Stock Exchange, Apple shares lost 3.62% of their value on Thursday, around 3:15 p.m. GMT.
With AFP
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