If you watch the news at all, you’ve heard those three initials that should strike fear in the heart and minds of U.S. citizens: DOJ. So what is this DOJ anyway? Well, it is the Department of Justice aka “The Justice Department.” If you want a simple sentence that explains what this government agency does, “DOJ’s mission is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States.”
Report says DOJ prosecutors have been drafting a lawsuit against Apple
Epic violated App Store rules by including its own in-app payment platform with the Fortnite app
DOJ could be waiting for a ruling on the appeal of the Epic v. Apple lawsuit
Three people cited by Politico as being familiar with the DOJ’s work were granted anonymity and revealed that public comments by Tile, the company that produces tags and other products to help find lost items, are being scrutinized by the investigators working on the Apple case. Tile competes with Apple’s AirTags trackers. The three sources say that the App Store and Apple’s iOS mobile phone operating system are the major Apple units that the DOJ is looking at.
But this doesn’t end the Epic v. Apple lawsuit which came about after Epic included a link to its in-app payment platform inside the iOS and Android versions of its popular Fortnite game. The link led game players to Epic’s website where in-game currency was offered at a price lower than what was being charged inside the App Store. That’s because Epic didn’t tack on the 30% Apple Tax on such purchases that it processed itself.
The DOJ could be waiting until the appeals are heard in order to present a stronger case. And if the drumbeats get louder, there is always the chance that Apple will try to work out a settlement to prevent what would certainly be a circus from taking place.