Apple must face the Justice Department’s lawsuit accusing the iPhone maker of unlawfully dominating the US smartphone market, a judge ruled Monday. US District Judge Julien Neals in Newark, NJ, denied Apple’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit accusing the company of using restrictions on third-party app and device developers to keep users from switching to competitors and unlawfully dominate the market.

The case could be a years-long fight for Apple against enforcers' attempts to lower what they say are barriers to competition with the iPhone.

A federal judge on Monday rejected Apple’s request to dismiss the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust case against the iPhone maker in an early win for the agency. U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals denied the effort by the tech giant to throw out the case,