A report from The New York Times states that the US Department of Justice is in the final stages of its investigation and could soon launch its case. The US Department of Justice is said to have been investigating a wide range of accusations against Apple regarding business practices involving how apps are allowed, or not, to operate on its devices along with patent disputes, device tracking/data collection, and more. Investigators have reportedly spoken to many different companies regarding these allegations and are in the “late stages” of their investigation. It’s believed that the DOJ could launch its antitrust case against Apple within months.
Per Engadget:
“The US Department of Justice (DOJ) could file “a sweeping antitrust case” against Apple as soon as the first half of this year, according to The New York Times. The report says the agency is in “the late stages” of its investigation, focusing on the company’s control over hardware and software services and how its “walled garden” approach has allegedly made it harder for rivals to compete and customers to switch to competing products.”
According to Engadget and The NY Times the following items have been looked into but there could still be more that may be unveiled if/when the case moves to the courts.
- The blocking of an Android version of iMessage called Beeper was made by a developer who reverse-engineered iMessage to get it working on Android.
- A patent dispute with Tile which had its own Bluetooth tracking technology before Apple’s AirTag had been released
- Apple reportedly blocking rivals from its payment apps
- Meta is said to have “encouraged” the DOJ to look closer into Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool
- Apple’s charges for digital purchases made on the iPhone, something that continues to be a legal battle that Epic Games is involved with