U.S. hits Apple with landmark antitrust suit, accusing tech giant of anti-competitive practices

Washington — Apple Inc., one of the world's most valuable and influential companies, illegally engaged in anti-competitive behavior in an effort to build a "moat around its smartphone monopoly" and maximize its profits, the Justice Department alleged in a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit filed Thursday.

In the suit brought by federal prosecutors in New Jersey, the Justice Department accused the company of using app development rules, iPhone features and hardware that customers use every day — including iMessage, Apple Wallet and smartwatches — to thwart competition and expand its business by charging higher prices.

The company employed "a series of shapeshifting rules and restrictions in its App Store guidelines and developer agreements that would allow Apple to extract higher fees, thwart innovation, offer a less secure or degraded user experience, and throttle competitive alternatives," the complaint alleged.