Fortress Says Intel, Apple Using Antitrust Suit as Intimidation

SoftBank Group Corp. subsidiary Fortress Investment Group LLC fired back at antitrust claims filed in San Francisco federal court by Apple Inc. and Intel Corp., calling the lawsuit “an attempt to intimidate” Fortress affiliates out of enforcing their patent rights.

“It is ironic that Apple and Intel, who have been accused for many years of violating the antitrust laws, charging supracompetitive prices, and using their patents to block competitors, have brought these claims,” Fortress says in court papers filed Tuesday.

The antitrust suit accuses Fortress of propping up a web of “patent assertion entities”—companies with essentially no assets ...