The United States Justice Department is set to file a lawsuit against Apple for potentially breaching antitrust laws. Antitrust laws originated with the US Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 and are enforced at domestic levels. Of the big four tech companies, Apple is the latest to be accused of breaching antitrust laws. The lawsuit alleges that Apple is using hardware and software limitations to stifle competition with iPhones and iPads.
Antitrust Lawsuits: As the digital market continues to grow, many countries including the European Union, Japan, the United Kingdom, the US, China, South Korea, India and Australia have all either introduced, or plan to introduce, competition legislation specific to tech firms.
The European Commission handed down the fine to the company in 2017 for using its own price comparison shopping service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals.
Google turned to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) after the General Court in 2021 threw out its challenge to the fine levied by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in 2017.