Apple Might Face Antitrust Probe Over Flash Policies

Reports are surfacing that Apple Inc. (AAPL) is in line for an antitrust probe by the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission.

The Steve Jobs-led company is coming under scrutiny for prohibiting Adobe Flash applications on its products, namely the iPhone and iPad. The New York Post on Monday broke the news that Apple now could face an antitrust investigation into the licensing practices in the iPhone Developer Program, the Flash prohibition and into the company itself.

Then, on Tuesday, new reports were published that said Apple may change the terms of its iPhone and iPad application developer agreements to avoid an investigation. Apple and Adobe have been in a catfight for weeks over the blocking of Flash apps.

The Wall Street Journal also was noting that government officials are keen to know more about Apple’s iAd mobile advertising platform because developers no longer may share data from iPhone and iPad with third parties.

If Apple does go through an antitrust probe, it will join rival Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) in the annals of that unsavory history.