Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

US gov. sues Apple for building an anti-competitive 'moat'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 22 Mar 2024 13:30
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

The Department of Justice, alongside 16 attorney generals, filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that it has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market by violating federal antitrust law.

  • x
  • Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, Thursday, March 21, 2024.(AP)
    Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, Thursday, March 21, 2024. (AP)

The US government is suing US tech giant Apple for allegedly creating an anti-competitive “moat” around its monopolizing iPhone ecosystem.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed its lawsuit on March 21 in New Jersey federal court, claiming that Apple had utilized “broad-based, exclusionary conduct” to make it difficult for Americans to change smartphones and for companies to supply applications, products, and services to iPhone users.

16 state attorneys general joined the federal government in putting forward the civil claim.

A monopoly manipulating the market

In a statement, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said "Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate the antitrust laws."

"We allege that Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market, not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law. If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly," Garland added.

Related News

Syria welcomes US decision to lift sanctions, hosts US delegation

Trump claims Gaza war to end in weeks, despite ongoing Israeli assault

The lawsuit stated that the iPhone monopoly has driven Apple’s “astronomical valuation” at the cost of consumers and other technology companies as the company’s market capitalization of over $2.6 trillion is second only to Microsoft’s $3.2 trillion.

After the lawsuit was revealed, Apple's stock decreased 4.1%, erasing over $100 billion in market value.

The case criticizes Apple’s so-called "walled garden" business model, which makes the company’s products widely unreachable to competitors.

Apple monopolized the smartphone app market by obstructing advances from competitors as the lawsuit said, “By stifling these technologies, and many others, Apple reinforces the moat around its smartphone monopoly not by making its products more attractive to users, but by discouraging innovation that threatens Apple’s smartphone monopoly."

Apple's response

Apple has rejected the DOJ lawsuit's claims, as a company spokesperson informed media outlets that this lawsuit could “hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple – where hardware, software, and services intersect."

"It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering the government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology," they added. 

This lawsuit is only weeks after the EU fined Apple €1.84 billion ($2 billion) for breaching the bloc’s competition laws, as it allegedly blocked providers of rival streaming services, such as Spotify, from letting iPhone users know about cheaper music subscription substitutions.

As revealed on February 18, the European Commission initiated an antitrust investigation to examine whether Apple utilized its platform to prioritize its services at the expense of competitors, prompted by a formal complaint filed by audio streaming company Spotify in 2019, as per the Financial Times report.

It recognized Apple's conduct as unlawful and in violation of the European Union's regulations aimed at enhancing competition in the market, according to sources as cited by the Financial Times. 

  • United States
  • Apple
  • Department of Justice
  • Attorney General

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS