The legal battle between the Department of Justice and the tech giant is heating up. A federal judge in New Jersey recently agreed to let Apple ask for internal documents from Samsung in South Korea. The move comes as the smartphone maker builds a defense against the ongoing government lawsuit over claims it runs an illegal monopoly.
By securing this legal approval, the company hopes to gather key evidence about its biggest competitor to show how the tech market actually works.
The judge allows the company to gather foreign evidence from a competitor
Earlier this year, the company asked the court for help to obtain foreign records to fight the lawsuit. It pointed out that its biggest rival competes directly in smartphones, watches, and software distribution. Because the rival runs its main operations overseas, its United States branch refused to hand over papers held by the parent organization in South Korea.
To get around this roadblock, the legal team used the Hague Evidence Convention. This treaty gives courts a way to request information across international borders for civil cases. The government objected to this strategy, arguing that the request came nine months late and could slow down the trial schedule. Despite these concerns, the court found a good cause to approve the motion on Friday.
South Korean authorities will now decide if the files will be shared
Winning this court order is only the first step in the process. The approval does not mean the overseas competitor will automatically hand over its private business records. Instead, the legal request will travel through the treaty system directly to authorities in South Korea. Those local officials will look at the paperwork and figure out how to process it under their own laws.
The rival business still has a chance to fight the request. It can raise objections in its home country or flatly refuse to share certain pieces of information. For now, the case moves forward as both sides wait to see what kind of documents will actually make it back to the United States courtroom.
