Apple (AAPL.O) will request a federal judge to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust lawsuit accusing it of unlawfully dominating the smartphone market.
The hearing, set for Wednesday in Newark, New Jersey, will feature arguments from Apple’s legal team and DOJ prosecutors.
The DOJ claims Apple restricts interoperability between iPhones and third-party apps and devices, locking users in and excluding competitors.
Apple has argued that its restrictions on developer access to its technology are reasonable.
The company contends that forcing it to share its technology would discourage innovation.
The lawsuit represents a broader trend of bipartisan antitrust actions targeting Big Tech.
Filed during President Joe Biden’s administration, the case against Apple originated under former President Donald Trump.
Other major cases include those against Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google for monopolizing online search, Meta Platforms (META.O) for stifling competition through acquisitions, and Amazon (AMZN.O) for restrictive seller policies.
However, similar antitrust claims have sometimes failed.
For instance, a judge dismissed the Federal Trade Commission’s case against Meta, which alleged anticompetitive restrictions on third-party app developers.
Additionally, in the Google search trial, the court rejected a claim that Google should have done more to accommodate advertisers on Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) Bing search engine.
Apple referenced these rulings in its defense, arguing that withholding access to proprietary technology should not be deemed anticompetitive.
The DOJ lawsuit, filed in March, challenges Apple’s restrictions on app developers, fees, and technical barriers to third-party devices and services.
These include smartwatches, digital wallets, and messaging services that could compete with Apple’s own products.
If Judge Julien Neals finds the claims plausible, the case will proceed to trial.