Apple seeks Samsung documents

Apple has asked a United States court to seek Samsung’s internal records from South Korea for Apple’s defense in the Justice Department’s antitrust case. (macrumors.com) The request targets documents Apple says could show how often customers switch between iPhone and Android phones, and how Samsung views competition in smartphones, smartwatches and app distribution. Samsung’s United States arm said the records are held by the South Korean parent company, not by the American subsidiary. (9to5mac.com) Apple is using the Hague Evidence Convention, a treaty process that lets courts in one country ask another country’s authorities to obtain evidence for a civil case. If the New Jersey court approves the request, South Korean authorities would still have to process it. (hcch.net) (state.gov) The antitrust case began on March 21, 2024, when the Department of Justice and 16 state and district attorneys general sued Apple in federal court in New Jersey under Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The government said Apple used restrictions on apps, services and connected devices to make it harder for users to leave the iPhone. (justice.gov) The court kept the case alive on June 30, 2025, when Judge Julien Neals denied Apple’s motion to dismiss. That ruling moved the fight into discovery, the evidence-gathering stage where companies demand documents from each other and from third parties. (oag.ca.gov) (natlawreview.com) Apple’s argument is straightforward: a company facing monopoly claims wants proof that rivals are strong and that customers can switch. Samsung is the largest Android phone maker, so its internal market data could help Apple argue that the market is more competitive than the government says. (gadgets360.com) (androidauthority.com) The government’s case is broader than phone sales alone. Its complaint says Apple preserved power by limiting “super apps,” cloud game services, cross-platform messaging, third-party smartwatches and digital wallets, all of which the Justice Department says raised switching costs for consumers and developers. (justice.gov) (congress.gov) Samsung has not publicly embraced the request, and cross-border discovery can be slow because foreign privacy, secrecy and court rules can narrow what gets produced. Apple’s move still shows where this case now sits: not at the pleading stage, but in a document fight over how to measure competition around the iPhone. (appleinsider.com) (fjc.gov)