KARLSRUHE, Germany, March 18 (Reuters) - Apple ( AAPL )

lost an appeal on Tuesday against a regulatory assessment that

opens the iPhone maker up to stricter controls in Germany, the

Federal Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday, following years of

debate over the company's market position.

Federal judges backed the German cartel office's 2023

designation of Apple ( AAPL ) as a "company of paramount cross-market

significance for competition".

With that, Apple ( AAPL ) joins Google parent Alphabet and

Facebook owner Meta on Germany's growing list of tech

giants subject to possible measures curbing their dominance.

A judge had indicated in January that the court would side

with the regulator.

The court also declined to consult with the European Court

of Justice in Luxembourg on the case, as requested by Apple's ( AAPL )

legal team.

Apple's ( AAPL ) App Store has faced particular scrutiny in Europe,

where regulators have flagged concerns over the wealth of data

it gathers on user behaviour.

(Reporting by Ursula Knapp, writing by Rachel More, editing by

Thomas Seythal)