Here’s how long the Apple vs. DOJ battle could last [Video]

After the federal government filed a bombshell antitrust lawsuit against Apple, the tech giant looks poised for a long and vigorous legal battle as it defends itself against allegations that it used anticompetitive practices to illegally maintain a smartphone monopoly.

Apple says the lawsuit gets the facts and the law wrong and plans to vigorously defend itself. That legal process, one analyst group predicts, could stretch out years in a worst-case scenario for Apple — but a settlement is more likely.

Analysts at Wedbush Securities on Thursday wrote that they believe a settlement is the most likely resolution to the suit brought by the US Department of Justice.

Wedbush predicted that “ultimately a settlement will be reached in some form likely over the next 12 to 18 months.”

The firm added that the extended timeline of the case means that Apple is unlikely to make any operational changes in the short term.

In its note, Wedbush analysts examined the bull …