After years of discussion on the company’s position in the market, the Federal Court of Justice declared on Tuesday that Apple (AAPL.O) had lost an appeal against a regulatory assessment that exposes the iPhone manufacturer to more stringent controls in Germany.
Apple’s categorization as a “company of paramount cross-market significance for competition” by the German cartel authority in 2023 was supported by federal judges.
As a result, Apple joins Alphabet (GOOGL.O), the parent company of Google, and Meta (META.O), the owner of Facebook, in opening a new tab on Germany’s expanding list of digital companies that could face steps to limit their dominance.
Apple stated that it disagreed with the court’s ruling and that it faced fierce competition in Germany.
A firm spokeswoman told Reuters via email that “it neglects the value of a business model that places the privacy and security of users at its center.”
In January, a judge had said the court would support the regulator. Additionally, the court denied Apple’s legal team’s request to confer with the European Court of Justice inLuxembourg regarding the matter.
The abundance of data that Apple’s App Store collects on user behavior has drawn special attention from European regulators.
In a statement, Andreas Mundt, president of the cartel office, praised the court’s decision.
“This means that the highest court has confirmed that Apple is subject to stricter abuse control,” Mundt stated.
“Our ongoing review of Apple’s tracking regulation for third-party apps is therefore on a solid footing, and we are working flat out on this case and other cases against the major internet companies,” he stated.
