Apple has said the U.S. government’s antitrust lawsuit accusing the tech giant of monopolizing the smartphone market has “no basis in reality” and should be thrown out by a federal judge. In a court filing, Apple denied that it is a monopoly and said it is not obligated to give third-party software developers more access to iPhones than they already have.
Apple also said in a statement that it sets the terms of access to its own platform and technology, without interfering or restricting third parties in terms of working with the tech giant’s competitors in the smartphone market. These actions cannot be challenged under current U.S. antitrust laws.
“Apple faces intense competition from other smartphone makers, including Google and Samsung, around the world,” one of Apple’s lawyers said during a federal court hearing in Newark, New Jersey, this week.
The lawsuit also fails to prove that Apple’s conduct harmed consumers, a key component of antitrust cases. “The government’s allegations are implausible, including that Apple is deterring consumers from switching to Google or Samsung devices through its policies on super apps, cloud gaming, smartwatches, or anything else,” the company said in a statement.
Recall that in March of this year, the US Department of Justice and a group of attorneys general from several states filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of allegedly preventing competitors from accessing hardware and software features in its devices. The lawsuit states that Apple uses its market position and control over the distribution of iPhone applications to hinder innovations that could make it easier for consumers to change their smartphone. The authors of the lawsuit claim that Apple refused to support cross-platform messaging applications, limited access to third-party digital wallets, blocked mobile streaming services, etc.
Filing a motion to dismiss a lawsuit is common in antitrust litigation. But it rarely works in cases where the government is the plaintiff. A hearing on Apple’s motion to dismiss is likely later this year.
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