Apple says U.S. is refusing to produce federal agency documents in DOJ antitrust case

Key Points:

• Apple has requested a federal judge in New Jersey to compel the U.S. government to produce documents from 14 federal agencies, arguing these materials could support its defense in the DOJ’s 2024 antitrust lawsuit alleging Apple’s monopoly in the smartphone market.
• Apple claims the documents relate to federal agencies' assessments of iPhone’s market advantages, privacy and security risks, and concerns about third-party access, which could demonstrate that Apple’s practices promote competition rather than restrict it.
• The company bases its request on discovery rules (Rule 34 and Rule 45), asserting that the government has refused to provide any documents despite multiple attempts, and that the request is narrowly targeted to 14 agencies to avoid being overly broad.
• The U.S. government opposes the request, arguing the agencies subpoenaed are not involved in the case, their documents are only tangentially relevant, and producing them would be overly burdensome and likely involve privileged or classified information.
• The government urges the court to deny Apple’s request and quash the subpoenas, emphasizing the agencies’ limited connection to the smartphone market and the litigation, and the significant effort required to comply.