The Hill: Court ruling makes Apple vulnerable to more lawsuits

September 14, 2021 Media

A federal court ruling last week in a case involving allegations of anticompetitive conduct against Apple opened the door for more lawsuits against the tech giant, while also adding to momentum on Capitol Hill to revamp antitrust laws.

Apple survived the lawsuit against its App Store rules brought by major developer Epic Games, with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruling the Fortnite game maker did not prove Apple is a monopolist. But in her decision, Gonzalez Rogers did not absolve Apple of having engaged in anticompetitive conduct, and her ruling may provide guidance for future cases against the company, according to legal experts.

The antimonopoly group American Economic Liberties Project, for example, issued a statement last week saying Gonzalez Rogers’s injunction against Apple should be coupled with a bipartisan, bicameral legislative proposal to add further app market regulations “that will ensure access to markets for American entrepreneurs and innovators.”