The U.S. Department of Justice has ramped up an ongoing antitrust investigation into Apple's monopoly power, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The DOJ has reportedly assigned more litigators and submitted more document requests in the case.
- The DOJ first launched the probe in 2019. According to the WSJ, the agency is examining Apple's App Store practices, including whether its iPhone operating system favors the company's apps over third-party apps.
- Depending on what it finds, the DOJ could choose to move forward by filing an antitrust complaint against Apple.
- The DOJ and Apple declined to comment. Apple has previously said that it supports outside developers and competition in its App Store.
- The escalation in the investigation comes after the DOJ filed a second antitrust complaint against Alphabet's Google. The suit claims Google abused its dominance in the digital advertising market, violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.
- The DOJ's previous antitrust lawsuit, which remains ongoing, accuses Google of suppressing competition in the online search market.
