Meta said that Germany has exceeded its authority.

The Facebook Meta Platforms Inc.’s attempt to have the business model of the world’s largest social media company reviewed by a European Union court was unsuccessful.

EU non-binding opinions provide the key to a final decision.

The German antitrust case is viewed as a demonstration of the extent to which regulators may prevent Silicon Valley companies from abusing big databases of user-generated data to increase their bargaining leverage.

Meta argued before the EU court that the German Federal Office’s decision to merge data protection and antitrust law violated its de facto jurisdiction and was flawed.

The businesses claimed that the German competition authorities broke the fundamental EU norm of “sincere collaboration.” In a statement, Meta added, “We are awaiting a final decision to determine our future actions.”