Apple has faced off against regulators over the years. For a company as big as Apple and with its reach, it’s not surprising. Sometimes, regulators request certain pieces of information from Apple, and most of the time, Apple tends to play hardball. This is because the information can be sensitive and Apple doesn’t want its competitors finding out. So, it’s really to no one’s surprise that in Apple’s ongoing antitrust case with the DOJ, the company has resisted handing over specific documents to the government agency.
Apple not handing over specific documents to DOJ in lawsuit
According to the DOJ, it claims to have turned over more than 115,000 documents to Apple. Apple, on the other hand, has only produced around 10,000 documents. That’s quite a stark difference. Making things worse is that two-thirds of the 10,000 documents Apple provided are user guides, legal documents, and the like for iPhone and Apple Watch.
At this point, it’s almost hilarious. Basically, Apple handed over stuff you could probably find on their website or in previous court cases. It’s like buying an iPad online, only to be sent a phone book packed inside of a box. This also reminds us of how Apple barely complied with a recent EU ruling regarding its App Store. However, the EU courts weren’t in the mood to play games .
This has frustrated DOJ lawyers, who claim Apple keeps changing their document requests in the ongoing antitrust lawsuit . Instead of providing “all documents” as requested, Apple is providing only what it deems “sufficient to show”. The government agency argues this creates unnecessary confusion and prevents them from knowing what Apple might be holding back.
Asking for judge intervention
The DOJ is now asking Judge Leda Wettre to intervene and order Apple to provide worldwide records, instead of limiting production to the US. They also want Apple to stop playing word games with document requests and hand over the data they originally asked for.
This case stems from the DOJ’s original lawsuit against Apple filed last year . The government alleges Apple maintains an illegal monopoly over smartphone markets through various anti-competitive practices. This includes allegations such as restricted app functionality, limited smartwatch compatibility, and degraded messaging between iPhone and Android devices.
It is unclear how the judge will rule and if the courts will compel Apple to comply under threat of a fine. But for now, Apple is frustrating the DOJ to no end.
