The US Department of Justice has enlisted more help in its omnibus and controversial antitrust suit against Apple, with the count now up to 20 co-plaintiffs, reports AppleInsider.
The four states added in an amended complaint filed on June 11 are Indiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Washington, the article adds.
“We welcome the States of Indiana, Massachusetts, Nevada and Washington, who join our existing coalition to restore competition in the smartphone markets that Apple has monopolized,” Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said in a statement. “We look forward to litigating this important case alongside our state partners to deliver the benefits of competition to consumers, app developers, accessory makers and the American public.”
AppleInsider notes that the Department of Justice says that Apple has violated section two of the Sherman antitrust act, in five ways.
- Restrictions on the App Store applied to “super apps,” and in doing so, limiting the growth of apps for third parties
- Cloud streaming services are limited by Apple, specifically game-streaming services
- Excluding cross-platform messaging apps, forcing people to continue to buy iPhones to maintain messaging
- Diminishing the functionality of non-Apple smartwatches, by limiting access to software and hardware features
- Limiting digital wallets, and preventing use of the near-field communications to third-parties
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today