A federal judge on Monday rebuffed Apple's request to throw out a U.S. government lawsuit alleging the technology trendsetter has built a maze of illegal barriers to protect the iPhone from competition and fatten its profit margins.

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 rejected Apple’s attempt to dismiss the case, saying the government’s allegations were ‘sufficient.’