A class-action lawsuit targeting Apple Inc. and AT&T Inc., filed last week in federal court, accuses the companies of illegally conspiring to tie iPhone customers to the telecommunications company’s wireless network.
The lawsuit, which was filed in court in San Francisco the same day another was filed in a Sacramento state court, slaps the two companies with six charges and claims that they broke numerous state and federal laws and regulations. The suit seeks compensation for $1.6 billion in damages, plus punitive and other damages that could push the total to well over $2 billion.
According to lawyers for Paul Holman in Washington state and Lucy Rivello in California, Apple and AT&T conspired to block all modifications of Apple’s iPhone to stymie any attempt by a user or competitors to diminish or tap into the Apple-AT&T revenue stream. Specifically, the suit charges that Apple blocked third-party applications, barred any ring tones but those it sold via iTunes, and disabled unlocked phones with last month’s Version 1.1.1 update.
