Mega process against Apple: judge allows cartel lawsuit for monopoly!

Mega process against Apple: judge allows cartel lawsuit for monopoly!

Apple is faced with a new antitrust of antitrust law in the USA. A federal judge recently decided that the US judiciary's lawsuit can be pursued against the tech giant due to alleged monopoly formation. This represents a significant step in a legal dispute that could have potentially far -reaching consequences for the company. According to Exxpress.at, Federal judge Julien Neal has found that the US government presented sufficient evidence to underpin the accusation that Apple takes a monopoly position in the smartphone market.

The lawsuit was submitted in March 2024 and supported by the federal government and 20 states. The allegation from which the technology group suffers is that Apple is supposed to suppress the competition in the smartphone market and excessive prices of consumers, as ZDF today. Apple's market shares are alarming: 65 percent of the total smartphone market and 70 percent of the premium market for high-performance martphones are in the hands of the company. In his justification, judge Neal referred to these considerable market shares.

The process could take years

A date for the process has not yet been determined, and it can be expected that the dispute could take years. Apple has already announced that it decided to combat the lawsuit and describes it as factually and legally unsustainable. The company's spokesman emphasized that they would be vigorous against the allegations. In addition to this main action, Apple is also exposed to other antitrust allegations, including with regard to the income of apps from other providers on its devices.

US Justice Minister Merrick Garland described the submitted lawsuit as necessary to combat Apple's monopolistic practices. He warns that an unchecked growth of the monopoly-like position of Apple in the smartphone market could endanger the competitive situation. This could seriously threaten the principles that Apple products in competition. According to Garland, Apple has also taken measures to make the “super apps” competing more difficult, to act successfully and thus restrict the competition.

effects on the European market

The antitrust law challenges for Apple in the United States also shed light on the changes that the company had to carry out in Europe. In particular, it was mentioned that Apple had to adapt to the new EU digital law in order to enable the loading of apps from other sources than your own app store. Critics such as Spotify and Epic Games criticize unfavorable conditions for developers who have to deal with Apple's practices. The legal disputes are part of a larger trend that is discussed in the appreciation of monopolism and its influence on the competitiveness of companies in the digital area. This debate is reinforced by the increase in corporate concentration in the United States in the United States, in contrast to Europe, such as bundeskartellamt.de.

In a larger context, it continues to investigate the role of large tech companies, such as Apple, play in the global economy and how new regulatory measures can contribute to ensuring a principle of fairness in the competition. The considerations regarding the structural separation of large platforms and the effectiveness of the new antitrust instruments are becoming increasingly important, since the pressure on companies such as Apple is increasing to rethink their business practices.