Minnesota joins DOJ in Apple antitrust lawsuit

Minnesota is one of 16 states that has joined the Department of Justice to file an antitrust lawsuit against Apple.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleges that Apple holds a monopoly over the smartphone market in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act.

“Smartphones are essential devices in this day and age, but they don’t need to be as expensive or restrictive as they currently are,” Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement. “Apple’s exclusionary conduct makes it hard or impossible for people to switch to lower-cost iPhone alternatives, and harder for app developers to innovate and compete.”

The complaint alleges that Apple has intentionally worked to make users more reliant on the iPhone by making it harder to switch to a non-Apple device. The company imposes restrictions on access for developers to apps or services such as the Cloud that could make users less reliant on Apple.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, said in a statement that she strongly supports the case, which she said illustrates the need for clear competition policy and antitrust law surrounding big tech.

“Tech monopolies impede competition, harming consumers and small businesses,” Klobuchar said. “As the gatekeeper controlling the smartphones used by more than half of all Americans, Apple has restricted consumer choice, raised prices, and preferenced its own products and services.”

Other states taking part in the suit include Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont.