US court denies Apple's request to dismiss antitrust case concerning iCloud

Core Viewpoint - A California district court has denied Apple's request to dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging that the company violates competition laws by mandating users to back up critical files on its iCloud service, thereby limiting competition from third-party cloud services [1][2]. Group 1: Legal Proceedings - The lawsuit was initially dismissed by U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee due to insufficient claims from the plaintiffs, but a second amended complaint was filed, which the judge found sufficient to proceed with the case [2]. - Plaintiffs argue that Apple holds a monopoly in the cloud-based storage market for iPhones, both in terms of revenue and user numbers [2]. Group 2: Apple's Defense - Apple allows users to back up data such as photos and videos to any cloud service, but restricts backing up core device data to third-party services, which the company cites as a security measure [3]. - The company emphasizes that its design decisions regarding data access are rooted in security and privacy considerations due to the sensitivity of the data involved in restoring Apple devices [4].