- By Bernd Debusmann Jr and Natalie Sherman
- BBC News, Washington
The US has filed a landmark lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of monopolising the smartphone market and crushing competition.
In the legal action, the justice department alleges the company abused its control of the iPhone app store to “lock in” customers and developers.
It accuses the firm of taking illegal steps to thwart apps seen as a threat and make rival products less appealing.
Apple has vowed to “vigorously” fight the lawsuit and denies the claims.
The sprawling complaint, filed at a federal court in New Jersey along with the attorneys general of 16 states, marks one of the biggest challenges to date for Apple, which has been fending off mounting complaints about its practices in recent years.
It alleges that Apple used “a series of shapeshifting rules” and restricted access to its hardware and software, in a bid to boost its own profits while raising costs for customers and stifling innovation.
“Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits but by violating federal anti-trust law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference announcing the suit.
“Customers should not have to pay higher prices because companies break the…
