US authorities lining up iAd probe, claims report

Even the most loyal of Apple zealots couldn't deny that its iDevices business has taken on a new, more aggressive form of late.

The likes of iAd, Game Center and the firm's continued efforts to block Flash development all signify that the company is looking to solidify the walls around iPhone, with Apple putting its fingers in pies it previously left to thirdparties.

The question of just what effect iAd, which is due to launch at the start of next month, will have on the advertising networks that already operate on Apple's platforms is one the Financial Times reports US authorities are looking to investigate.

The case came to a head yesterday when the latest revision to Apple's developer agreement seemed to block out AdMob's operations on iOS.

As such, the paper claims both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice are currently in talks to determine just which body will spearhead an investigation into the new agreement, which rules out the collation of analytics for financial gain, and blocks AdMob's business on iPhone entirely.

Many commentators see the new developer agreement as a cynical way of carving up AdMob's business following its purchase by rival Google for $750 million.

AdMob itself has also reacted angrily to the move, stating Apple is being motivated by personal gain, rather than looking out for the interests of the development community thriving on the App Store.

Indeed, the level at which Apple's recent actions mirror those taken back in April won't be lost on AdMob.

It was Adobe that lost out back then, with Apple altering the developer agreement to block the use of thirdparty software such as Flash in titles on the App Store – just as Adobe was readying a tool that did just that.

Said move prompted a federal antitrust inquiry looking into whether such actions were to the detrement of other platform holders, forcing developers to choose to work on iPhone exclusively.

It would appear any new investigation would have much in common with the previous inquiry. Sources familiar with the probe are telling the paper the focus would be whether the new developer agreement unfairly restricts rivals and prohibits fair and reasonable competition.

[source: FierceMobile]