Apple Hit with Antitrust Lawsuit Over Camera Technology

Reincubate, an app developer that offers Camo and Camo Studio apps for turning smartphones into webcams for Macs and PCs, is suing Apple over allegations of anticompetitive conduct and patent infringement. Camo first launched in 2020, but was swiftly overshadowed by the launch of Apple’s Continuity Camera feature two years later. The latter only works with Apple devices, leading Reincubate to claim that Apple copied their technology and used its control over operating systems and app stores to unfairly steer user demand towards its own platform-tied offering. The lawsuit alleges that Apple’s actions were intended to disadvantage Reincubate’s interoperable solution, thereby benefiting the company’s own Continuity Camera feature. As a result, thousands of Apple employees were allegedly forced to use Camo instead of the more convenient and accessible Continuity Camera. Reincubate is seeking unspecified damages for its losses as a result of Apple’s alleged anticompetitive conduct.