USA v. Apple: Full Antitrust Lawsuit

23 Mar 2024

United States v. Apple INC Court Filing, retrieved on March 21, 2024 is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series. You can jump to any part in this filing here. This is the table of links with all parts.

Case Number: 2:24-cv-04055

Plaintiffs: United States of America

Defendant: APPLE INC.

Filing Date: March 21, 2024

Location: United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

COMPLAINT

I. Introduction

II. Defendant Apple

A. Apple launched the iPod, iTunes, and the iTunes Store against the backdrop of United States v. Microsoft

B. Apple invited third-party investment on the iPhone and then imposed tight controls on app creation and app distribution

III. Smartphones Are Platforms

IV. Apple Unlawfully Maintains Its Monopoly Power

A. Apple harms competition by imposing contractual restrictions, fees, and taxes on app creation and distribution

B. Apple uses APIs and other critical access points in the smartphone ecosystem to control the behavior and innovation of third parties in order to insulate itself from competition

C. Apple’s “moat” around its smartphone monopoly is wide and deep: it uses a similar playbook to maintain its monopoly through many other products and services

V. Anticompetitive Effects

A. Apple’s conduct harms the competitive process

B. Apple has every incentive to use its monopoly playbook in the future

VI. Privacy, Security, and Other Alleged Countervailing Factors Do Not Justify Apple’s Anticompetitive Conduct

VII. The Smartphone Industry

A. Background

B. Smartphone Hardware

C. Smartphone Operating Systems, Applications, and Other Software

D. Relevant Markets

E. Apple has monopoly power in the smartphone and performance smartphone markets

VIII. Jurisdiction, Venue, and Commerce

IX. Violations Alleged

A. First Claim for Relief: Monopolization of the Performance Smartphone Market in the United States in Violation of Sherman Act § 2

B. Second Claim for Relief, in the Alternative: Attempted Monopolization of the Performance Smartphone Market in the United States in Violation of Sherman Act § 2

C. Third Claim for Relief: Monopolization of the Smartphone Market in the United States in Violation of Sherman Act § 2

D. Fourth Claim for Relief, in the Alternative: Attempted Monopolization of the Smartphone Market in the United States in Violation of Sherman Act § 2

E. Fifth Claim for Relief: Violation of the New Jersey Antitrust Act (Monopoly Maintenance)

F. Sixth Claim for Relief: Violations of Wisconsin State Law

X. Request for Relief

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This court case retrieved on March 21, 2024, from justice.gov is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction.

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