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The Justice Department has sped up its probe into Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in recent months in order to potentially file an antitrust complaint, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The WSJ, citing people familiar with the matter, said the Justice Department’s investigation assessing whether Apple has monopoly power that it abuses has escalated recently, with additional litigators now assigned to the case and further requests for documents and consultations with companies involved.
The investigation, which began in 2019, is looking into Apple’s policies governing mobile third-party software on its devices, which has been criticized heavily on many occasions.
They are also examining Apple’s iOS operating system to see if it operates in an anti-competitive way, favoring its own products over other developers.
Apple has previously denied such claims, stating that it embraces competition on its App Store.
WSJ sources also told them that one of the questions surrounding the Justice Department’s investigation, which is said to be handled mostly by its San Francisco office, has been the involvement of its top antitrust official, Jonathan Kanter, with the department having previously sidelined Kanter from overseeing the case due to his prior representation of clients who have accused Apple of anti-competitive practices.
However, the WSJ report states they could not find out if Kantar will be able to oversee the investigation, but its sources said he likely will be involved.
It is currently unclear how soon a lawsuit would be filed, but the current steps taken would make it possible to file a lawsuit as soon as the spring, the WSJ said, adding that there is still a possibility it could be delayed.
