Bull Moose Project Urges FTC to Rein in Apple’s Anti-Competitive Practices
The Bull Moose Project announced today that it has joined the Center for American Rights in calling on the Federal Trade Commission to open a sweeping investigation into Apple Inc. over certain predatory business practices.
In a new letter sent to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Commissioner Mark Meador, our organizations present evidence that Apple has suppressed competition and innovation through patent abuse, stealth acquisitions, and manipulation of its App Store gatekeeping power.
Importantly, Apple’s behavior has harmed small innovators, limited consumer choice, and undermined the promise of a free and open market.
“President Trump has rightly called on his antitrust enforcement agencies to ‘ensure competition laws are enforced, both vigorously and FAIRLY,’ explained Daniel Suhr, president of the Center for American Rights.
“Apple has a track record of behavior that raises serious concerns about anticompetitive practices across multiple parts of the enterprise,” he continued. “We encourage the FTC to look carefully at this information to determine whether formal steps are necessary to protect consumers from unlawful market misconduct.”
Three case studies—VirnetX, Masimo, and AliveCor—are highlighted in the letter to fully demonstrate Apple’s historical playbook against smaller innovators in secure communications and health technology. In each instance, Apple can be seen poaching key staff, replicating proprietary technologies, and using muddy legal loopholes to undercut or sideline the original rights-holders.
We urge commissioners to invoke authority under Sections 5 and 6 of the FTC Act to investigate Apple on these grounds. Decisive enforcement is necessary to protect today’s victims of the Tech Giant and ensure that future American innovators can compete on a level playing field in areas like AI, virtual reality, and digital health.
“By encouraging the FTC to act, we are saying loud and clear: no company is too big to be held accountable, and no Silicon Valley giant gets a free pass to rig the rules against entrepreneurs and consumers,” stated Aiden Buzzetti, president of the Bull Moose Project.
