Apple smartphone antitrust litigation

Hausfeld is court-appointed Co-Lead Counsel in this antitrust class action, representing a nationwide class of direct purchasers of iPhones against Apple Inc. The complaint alleges that Apple unlawfully maintained monopoly power in the market for smartphones through exclusionary conduct designed to suppress competition and preserve its dominance. According to the complaint’s allegations, Apple has unlawfully monopolized the smartphone ecosystem by locking in consumers through restrictive conduct in numerous ways, including limits on cross-device interoperability, messaging, digital wallets, and cloud streaming.   

By leveraging its control over both hardware and software ecosystems, Apple allegedly excluded actual and potential competitors from the smartphone market, reduced innovation, and forced iPhone purchasers to pay more than they would have in a competitive market. Plaintiffs claim this conduct constitutes unlawful monopolization in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act.

The lawsuit seeks treble damages and equitable relief on behalf of all similarly situated iPhone purchasers who bought their devices directly from Apple to restore competition in the smartphone market and prevent future anticompetitive conduct.

The litigation is captioned In re Apple Inc. Smartphone Antitrust Litigation and is currently pending in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.