Attorney General Aaron M. Frey has joined the Justice Department and 15 state and district attorneys general in filing a civil antitrust lawsuit against Apple for monopolizatdion or attempted monopolization of smartphone markets in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act.

The complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey alleges that Apple illegally maintains a monopoly over smartphones by selectively imposing contractual restrictions on, and withholding critical access points from developers.  Apple undermines apps, products, and services and that would otherwise make users less reliant on the iPhone, promote interoprability and lower costs, for consumers and developers.  Apple exercises its onopoly power to extract more money from customers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses and merchants among others. Through this monopolizations lawsuit, the Justice Department and state Attorneys General are seeking relief to restore competition to these vital markets on behalf of the American people.

“Apple knows that people rely on its products and we believe it used that reliance to lock in consumers and limit their options,” said Attorney General Frey.  “This type of behavior violates all the principles of a competitive marketplace and  ultimately hurts consumers.”