Apple loses German antitrust appeal; heightened regulatory oversight likely

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency
A ruling by Germany’s Federal Court of Justice on March 18, 2025 upheld a 2023 decision by the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt). This decision classified Apple as a “company of paramount cross-market significance for competition,” a designation under Germany’s Competition Act that subjects major tech firms to heightened regulatory oversight. The ruling stems from years of debate about Apple’s market dominance, p