Apple files motion to dismiss Justice Department antitrust lawsuit

In March, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit alleging that Apple has a monopoly on the iPhone and engages in anticompetitive practices that harm users.

Although the Justice Department has sued Apple for antitrust violations three times in the past 14 years, this was the first time the Cupertino company was accused of using illegal tactics to maintain its dominant position.

Apple has now filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit because, the company says, the government’s complaint failed to show any of those anticompetitive issues.

Apple responds to these US government allegations:

• Blocking third-party developers from creating competitive digital wallets with contactless payment functionality for iPhone
• Quality of messages sent between iPhone and Android deteriorates
• Blocking video game cloud streaming apps
• Restricting third-party smartwatch features on iPhone and Apple Watch running Android

Regarding the possible iMessage issue, Apple said, “iMessage is Apple’s proprietary, innovative messaging service that Apple created to competitively differentiate iPhone. The government believes companies like Apple should be held antitrust responsible for not spending resources, costs, and time developing versions of proprietary products and services for competitors’ devices.”

The Cupertino company also addressed claims that it is to blame for third-party smartwatches not working with the iPhone, and that the company even does not offer support for the Apple Watch on Android.

“It is implausible to claim, as the government does, that Apple has discouraged any customers from switching to Google or Samsung because of its policies on ‘super apps’, cloud gaming, smartwatches or anything else. The opposite is far more plausible: users unhappy with Apple’s sensible policies on third-party access can and do switch to competitor devices where such restrictions do not exist.”

With that in mind, the government has until September 12 to file an objection. Depending on how that goes, a ruling on the motion to dismiss the DOJ antitrust lawsuit is not expected until early 2025.

If the government wins, the trial could take several years. Like Epic v. Apple, this lawsuit still has a long way to go.

BGR We’ll keep you updated on Apple’s antitrust lawsuit as we learn more about it.