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Government budget woes could delay DOJ lawsuit against Apple

Apple logo on building

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A Justice Department decision to bring antitrust lawsuits against Apple and Google could be delayed until March 2022 or later because of continuing discussions and federal government budget concerns.

Previously, the Department of Justice planned on completing its probes of Apple and Google by Dec. 31. However, discussions about where to file the complaints and who should make the call are delaying that decision until March or later, Politico reported Thursday.

Government budget concerns are also playing a part. The expense of a court battle against tech giants like Apple and Google is reportedly fraught amid the collapse of the Build Back Better social spending bill. The bill would have given the DOJ $500 million antitrust enforcement.

Although Senate Democrats are planning on holding a vote on the $1.7 trillion bill in January, the DOJ is reportedly mulling which antitrust cases can move forward with its current level of funding. However, sources within the DOJ maintain that decisions will be based on legal merit.

The Justice Department first launched an investigation of Apple back in 2019. Back in October, reports indicated that the department's probe of Apple was accelerating and that a lawsuit was likely.

In Google's case, the DOJ sued the Mountain View tech giant in 2020, alleging that the company uses its power to stamp out competition. However, Politico reports that the DOJ's Google probe is still ongoing, and that it could result in a new lawsuit.



5 Comments

red oak 13 Years · 1104 comments

“The bill would have given the DOJ $500 million antitrust enforcement.”

LoL 

tommikele 12 Years · 599 comments

March 2022? A three month delay is five minutes in government speak.

KTR 4 Years · 280 comments

Gives Apple and google more time to pounce and re-stratergize....................

GeorgeBMac 8 Years · 11421 comments

Anti-Trust suits should never start with budget concerns but with a well defined problem that has impacted the nation or its people.
Otherwise, they are simply witch hunts that damage the corporations that people and nation benefit from.

We broke up AT&T even though they were providing outstandingly excellent service to the people of this country -- because some greedy people wanted a piece of the action.  We must never make that mistake again.

"Anti-Competitive" has become a pejorative rallying cry for (mostly) progressives.  But, if they are anti-competitive because their products and service are the best possible, they are to be lauded and supported rather than attacked. 

KTR 4 Years · 280 comments

They gonna gouge apple google out of money to help THEIR cause