Summary Apple and the US Justice Department are reportedly discussing a possible settlement in the government's landmark antitrust case against the company.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Apple and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) are reportedly holding early discussions aimed at settling the landmark antitrust lawsuit filed against the iPhone maker in 2024, according to a Bloomberg News report.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said the negotiations remain at an early stage and there is no guarantee that a settlement will be reached. Apple has reportedly submitted multiple proposals to the DOJ in an effort to resolve the case.
The DOJ and 15 US states sued Apple in 2024, alleging the company illegally monopolised the smartphone market by restricting competition, harming smaller rivals and driving up prices for consumers.
The lawsuit accuses Apple of making it more difficult for consumers to switch to competing products and identifies five areas in which the company allegedly limited competition: super apps, cloud gaming applications, messaging platforms, smartwatches and digital wallets.
It remains unclear whether the state attorneys general involved in the case are participating in the reported settlement discussions.
Apple and the DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while Reuters said it could not independently verify the Bloomberg report.
The development comes days after Apple filed a separate lawsuit against OpenAI and two former employees, alleging misappropriation of trade secrets linked to consumer hardware technology, further escalating tensions between the two companies.
