Apple is escalating its defense in the U.S. government’s antitrust lawsuit by asking a federal judge in New Jersey to force the government to hand over documents from 14 federal agencies that the company believes support its position in the case. The dispute centers on whether those agencies hold information that could help Apple defend how it manages the iPhone ecosystem, App Store policies, and platform security.
The Department of Justice sued Apple in 2024, accusing the company of maintaining an illegal monopoly in the smartphone market by limiting apps, services, and accessories that make it easier for users to switch away from iPhone. Apple now argues that several federal agencies have already recognized the value of its approach to privacy, security, and device management, and those internal assessments could weaken the government’s claims.
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Apple says the documents are relevant to its defense
Apple filed a joint discovery dispute letter with the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey after failing to obtain the requested records through normal discovery procedures. The company says the government has refused to produce documents from agencies that evaluated smartphones, wearable devices, app marketplaces, and security risks tied to non-Apple systems.
Apple is seeking information related to how federal agencies purchase smartphones and wearables, how they assess security and privacy concerns, and how they use Apple’s developer tools for internal apps. The company also wants access to government smartphone pricing and market share data.
Apple argues that if government agencies independently concluded that Apple’s tighter control over iPhone services improves privacy and security, those findings directly support its defense that its practices help products compete rather than harm competition.
The company also says it intentionally limited its request to 14 agencies out of more than 400 federal agencies in order to avoid making the request too broad or burdensome.
The U.S. government says Apple’s request goes too far
The U.S. government strongly disagrees and says Apple’s requests are irrelevant to the actual issues in the case. According to the government, many of the agencies Apple subpoenaed do not regulate smartphones, were not involved in the investigation, and use devices differently than regular consumers.
The government also argues that searching classified systems and reviewing sensitive documents would create a major burden, especially because many of the requested materials could contain privileged or classified information. Officials say Apple’s requests are too broad and would require unnecessary effort from agencies that have no direct role in the lawsuit.
The government is now asking the court to reject Apple’s request entirely and quash the subpoenas. The judge will ultimately decide whether Apple can access the documents as the larger iPhone antitrust case continues moving forward.
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