JAKARTA - Apple has reportedly been hit by a new wave of consumer lawsuits accusing the iPhone maker of monopolizing the smartphone market. The plaintiffs are taking advantage of an antitrust case filed by the US Department of Justice and 15 states last week.
At least three proposed class action lawsuits have been reported since Friday, March 22 in California and New Jersey federal courts by iPhone owners who claim Apple increased the cost of its products through anti-competitive behavior.
The lawsuits, which seek to represent millions of consumers, reflect Justice Department claims that Apple violated U.S. antitrust laws by suppressing technology for messaging apps, digital wallets, and other items that would increase competition in the smartphone market.
Apple has denied the government's claims. But the Cupertino, California-based company did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the consumer lawsuit.
Attorney Steve Berman, whose law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro filed one of the new cases, noted that his law firm had previously sued Apple for allegedly stifling competition for its Apple Pay mobile wallet.
"We are pleased that the DOJ (Department of Justice) agrees with our approach," Berman said.
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Apple is already fighting private lawsuits that challenge its business practices as anti-competitive. A judge ruled in February that Apple must face a class action lawsuit on behalf of millions of consumers who claim the company monopolized the market for iPhone apps. However, Apple denied this claim.
Hagens Berman previously succeeded in obtaining a combined settlement of USD 550 million (IDR 8.6 trillion) from Apple in separate cases related to its e-book pricing and app store policies.
A 2022 study by a University of Buffalo law school professor found that private antitrust class actions can sometimes go further than government cases, expanding "the scope of the violation, the amount of recovery, or the number of defendants involved."
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