Intel fought off the €1.06 billion antitrust fine it received 15 years ago

Intel won a major trial in the Old World: the highest court of the European Union ruled that the region’s antitrust regulators could not restore the fine previously imposed on it to the original amount of €1.06 billion – the proceedings on this issue lasted almost twenty years.

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The European Court of Justice upheld the decision of the previous court and rejected the appeal of the European Commission, which in 2009 fined Intel because the company, according to the regulator, had taken anti-competitive actions in the computer chip market. “The European Court rejects the Commission’s appeal, thereby confirming the decision of the European Court of General Jurisdiction,” the decision says.

The European Commission accused Intel of offering discounts to major computer manufacturers – Dell, Hewlett-Packard, NEC and Lenovo – on the condition that they first purchase its x86 processors. These discounts, according to the regulator, were aimed at restraining a competitor in the person of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which is a violation of EU antitrust rules.

«Such discounts and payments thereby prevented customers and ultimately consumers from choosing alternative products. By undermining the ability of competitors to compete on the basis of the merits of their products, Intel’s actions undermined competition and innovation,” the European Commission concluded at the time. The agency initially imposed a record fine of €1.06 billion on Intel. The company appealed the decision, starting a legal battle that lasted 15 years.

In 2022, the European Court of General Court overturned the original fine, ruling that the European Commission had erroneously concluded and failed to prove that Intel’s proposed discounts harmed competition. The agency reduced the fine to €376.36 million and filed an appeal, intending to restore its amount. Today, the European Court, the highest authority in the region, confirmed the decision of the previous court.