Apple's regulatory battles in Europe foreshadow what changes US antitrust suit may bring for users
It’ll likely take years before the U.S. government’s massive antitrust lawsuit against Apple is resolved — but the iPhone maker’s troubles with European regulators offer a glimpse of what changes American customers may see down the line
LONDON (AP) — It'll likely take years before the U.S. government's massive antitrust lawsuit against Apple is resolved — but the iPhone maker's troubles with European regulators offer a glimpse of what changes American customers may see down the line.
The U.S. lawsuit seeks to stop Apple from undermining technologies that compete with its own apps in areas such as streaming, messaging and digital payments. The Department of Justice also wants to prevent the tech giant from building language into its contracts with developers, accessory makers and consumers that lets obtain or keep a monopoly.
These are similar to themes that the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, and Apple have been wrangling over for years.
EU antitrust watchdogs have launched multiple antitrust cases accusing Apple of violating the 27-nation bloc's competition laws, while also imposing tough digital rules aimed at stopping tech companies from cornering digital markets.