Attorney General Merrick Garland and other U.S. Department of Justice officials briefed reporters on Thursday about their decision to file an antitrust lawsuit against Apple.
The Justice Department and 16 attorneys general filed the highly anticipated suit on Thursday, alleging that Apple’s iPhone ecosystem is a monopoly and that its anti-competitive practices extend to the company’s Apple Watch, advertising, browser, FaceTime and news offerings.
Garland was joined at Thursday’s press conference by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer, Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the antitrust division and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
The lawsuit is the Justice Department’s third case against Apple. It previously sued the tech giant over e-book prices and an alleged collusion scheme to depress salaries.