The DOJ lawsuit “threatens who we are”, Apple says

Apple released a statement following a lawsuit that the US filed against the company. The DOJ filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company, alleging quite a few things in it, mostly related to anti-competitive behavior. Having said that, Apple released a statement following the lawsuit, saying that the lawsuit itself “threatens who we are”.

Apple says that the DOJ lawsuit “threatens who we are”, and promises it will “vigorously defend” itself

As part of the statement, Apple also said that it will “vigorously defend” itself in the process. Apple opened its statement by saying the following: “We innovate every day to make technology people love—designing products that work seamlessly together, protect people’s privacy and security, and create a magical experience for our users”.

The company said that the principles that set Apple products apart are in danger because of this lawsuit. Apple also added that, if it loses this lawsuit, it would “hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect”.

The company added that a negative outcome would set a “dangerous precedent”

Apple said that such an outcome would be a “dangerous precedent” that would empower the government to take a heavy hand in “designing people’s technology”. The company finished the statement by saying that it believes the lawsuit is “wrong on the facts and the law”, and promising that it will fiercely defend against the accusations.

As a reminder, this antitrust lawsuit has been filed by the US Department of Justice as well as 17 US states. The US Attorney General, Garland, says that Apple “will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly” if it doesn’t get challenged.

The DOJ said that Apple is limiting app growth, limiting iPhone’s compatibility with non-Apple smartwatches, hindering cross-platform communication via messaging apps, and more. Even CarPlay and FaceTime were mentioned in the lawsuit.

This process will take a long time, needless to say. You can check out the entire 88-page lawsuit, in case you’re interested.