Apple's Monopolistic Practices Face Class Action Lawsuit

A federal judge has cleared a class action lawsuit against Apple and AT&T stating that the case can move forward as a class action.

The lawsuit will consolidate several lawsuits filed in 2007 and 2008 by iPhone users.Apple's monopolistic move which forces users to use only AT&T network, if they want to use iPhone, was challenged in court in 2007.

More lawsuits were filed in 2008, which targeted Apple's monopolistic practice of locking iPhones so that it can't be used with any other network but AT&T. It also attacked Apple's firm control over usage. Apple decides which app users can install or not.

After Dawn reports, The lawsuit also says Apple secretly made AT&T its exclusive iPhone partner in the U.S. for five years. Consumers agreed to two-year contracts with the Dallas-based wireless carrier when they purchased their phones, but were in effect locked into a five-year relationship with AT&T, the lawsuit argued.
 
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to keep Apple from selling locked iPhones in the U.S.