The Justice Department is poised to sue Apple as soon as Thursday for allegedly violating antitrust laws by blocking rivals from accessing hardware and software features of its iPhone, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
The lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in federal court, escalates the Biden administration’s antitrust fights against most of the biggest technology companies in the US, the report said.
The casemarks the third time that the Justice Department has suedApplefor antitrust violations in the past 14 years, but is the first case accusing the iPhone maker of illegally maintaining its dominant position,the report added.
Appleand a DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Late in February, Bloomberg News had reported that Apple representatives met with Justice Department officials in a bid to persuade the agency not to file an antitrust suit against the iPhone maker.
Appleis also in the midst of an antitrust-related tussle with “Fortnite” videogame maker Epic Games.
Earlier in the day,Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Elon Musk’s X and Match GroupjoinedEpic Games’ protest thatApplehas failed to honor a court-ordered injunction governing payments in its lucrative App Store.
The technology giantsbehindsome of the most popular apps in the App Store saidApplewas in “clear violation” of the September 2021 injunction by making it difficult to steer consumers to cheaper means to pay for digital content.
Taking action against Big Tech has been one of the few ideas that Democrats and Republicans have agreed on. During the Trump administration, which ended in 2021, the Justice Department and FTCopened probesinto Google, Facebook,Appleand Amazon.
The Justice Department has sued Google twice – once under Donald Trump regarding its search business and a second time on advertising technology since President Biden took office. The FTC sued Facebook during the Trump administration and Biden’s FTC has pressed forward with the lawsuit.
Shares of the company were down 1.5% at $175.97 in extended trading.
Polls are to open for the local elections across the country, with the added extra of a by-election on the same day.
Over 2,600 council seats are up for grabs across 107 councils in England, along with 10 mayoralties in major cities and combined authorities, and 25 London Assembly seats.
A total of 37 police and crime commissioners will also be decided at ballot boxes in England and Wales.
And a new MP will be chosen for the seat of Blackpool South in a by-election.
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U.S. prosecutors are reportedly investigating the fintech firm after a whistleblower claimed it processed thousands of transactions for users from sanctioned countries and terrorist groups.
John Swinney is expected to declare his bid to become the new leader of the SNP later today, Sky News understands.
It comes after Humza Yousaf announced he was standing down as SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister following his decision last week to cut power-sharing ties with the Scottish Greens – a move which saw his leadership collapse.
Mr Swinney previously served as SNP leader between 2000 and 2004; later becoming Nicola Sturgeon’s number two from 2014 to 2023.
He is considered a front-runner for the top job once again, having garnered support from senior figures within his party, including from the SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn.
The Perthshire North MSP is expected to make a statement in Edinburgh on Thursday morning.
However, he could face competition from the party’s former finance minister Kate Forbes, who narrowly lost out to Mr Yousaf in last year’s leadership election.
Though the Skye, Lochaber, and Badenoch MSP has not confirmed her intention to enter the leadership contest, she has so far refused to rule herself out of the race.
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“I am still considering all the options, but I also know that there is a lot of support for me across the country and across the party, and last year proved that,” she told Sky News on Tuesday.
It comes after the outgoing first minister, Mr Yousaf, was forced to resign following the breakdown of the Bute House Agreement.
Within hours of the power-sharing deal coming to an end, Mr Yousaf faced the threat of a no confidence vote in himself, and later from one in the Scottish government.
Mr Yousaf stepped down as Scotland’s first minister just after midday on Monday, saying he was “not willing to treat my values and principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power”.
He said he would remain in post until a replacement first minister was chosen.