New Delhi, July 8 -- Apple Inc. lost a European Union court fight to stop its App Store and iPhone operating system being hit by the full-force of the bloc's antitrust crackdown on Big Tech.

Judges at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg disagreed with Apple's challenge to the services being targeted under the EU's Digital Markets Act, saying regulators were right to draw the two services under the scope of the rules.

The court said it "confirms the designation of Apple as a gatekeeper in relation to the App Store and iOS, and finds the actions concerning the iMessage service to be inadmissible."

In response to the ruling, an Apple spokesperson said that the company believes "the DMA's mandate goes beyond what is lawful and proportiona...