Apple (AAPL.US) loses antitrust appeal in German court, faces tougher regulatory scrutiny.

Apple's (AAPL.US) appeal against a regulatory assessment has failed, according to German federal court sources, leaving the US tech giant facing tougher regulation in Germany.

For years, the company's market position has been the subject of controversy. A federal judge has supported the German Federal Cartel Office's 2023 designation of Apple as a "company of essential cross-market significance for competition."

Earlier this year, a judge hinted that the court would support the regulator's decision.

The court also denied Apple's legal team's request to consult the European Court in Luxembourg on the case.

Apple's app store has been under scrutiny in Europe, with regulators concerned about the company's collection of user behavior data.

With the defeat, Apple joins Alphabet (GOOGL.US) and Meta (META.US) in a growing list of tech companies that could be subject to measures to curb their market dominance in Germany.

Last month, Germany's antitrust regulator, the Federal Cartel Office, also informed Apple of its concerns about its app tracking framework, which could violate rules for large tech companies.

The German cartel authority ended its investigation into Meta's use of personal data in October 2024 after the company agreed to take steps to address the regulator's concerns.