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 has been most criticized in recent years for forcing third-party companies to go through its app store and pay hefty commissions on all transactions, this action focuses on other aspects of the iPhone ecosystem. , according to a document published by the Ministry of Justice.
“All of Apple’s decisions have established and strengthened the defenses protecting its smartphone monopoly,” argues the American government, which joined forces with prosecutors from several states to take the matter to federal civil justice in New Jersey. In doing so, Apple has wronged “the users, developers, and other parties who helped make iPhone what it is today”continues the summons document.
“Dangerous precedent”
According to the Department of Justice, the Cupertino, California group prevented or disrupted the creation and offering of services of “streaming” on iPhone, but also digital wallets that can be used on multiple platforms. It also hindered the development of messaging services that could 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 break competition laws”declared the American Minister of Justice, Merrick Garland, quoted in a press release.
“This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that distinguish Apple products in a fiercely competitive marketplace”, reacted the company in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP). If the procedure results in a binding decision for Apple, “it would create a dangerous precedent, allowing the government to weigh heavily [sur] the design of consumer technology »estimated the company.
Drastic conditions
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. 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.
In September 2021, a federal judge in Oakland ruled that the ecosystem was not a monopoly, but ordered Apple to no longer prevent third-party companies from using their own payment system 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 that it has “compliant with the injunction” of the court.