Apple pushes to dismiss DOJ smartphone monopoly case

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is set to ask a federal judge to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice’s case accusing the company of unlawfully dominating the smartphone market, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Julien Neals in Newark, New Jersey, is scheduled to hear arguments from lawyers for the iPhone maker, and from prosecutors who claim the company locks users in and keeps competition out by limiting interoperability, the report said.

The case against Apple began during Donald Trump’s first presidential term and was filed during Biden’s administration.

The tech giant has moved to dismiss the case, saying its limitations on developers’ access to its technology were reasonable, and that forcing it to share technology with competitors would chill innovation.

Big Tech firms have been at the center of antitrust scrutiny, with majors like Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google found to have an illegal monopoly in online search. Google’s deals with smartphone makers, including Apple (AAPL), are also at the heart of the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against the search behemoth.

If the DOJ ultimately prevails after a series of appeals, the iPhone maker could lose a significant chunk of valuable revenue, investment firm Jefferies said.

In other news, Apple (AAPL) has made a $100M investment proposal to Indonesia to build a plant to manufacture accessories and components.