In a defeat for the European Union’s tech antitrust efforts, a top court on Wednesday awarded a $1.2 billion fine against him. Intel on its applications to beat a competitor in the semiconductor industry more than a decade ago.
Court aforementioned The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s main antitrust regulator, made significant mistakes about the competitive impact of Intel’s behavior when determining that the chipmaker had violated antitrust laws in 2009. Intel has been accused of paying illegal discounts to companies that have previously used its semiconductors. competitor Advanced Micro Devices.
The decision of the EU General Court in Luxembourg can be appealed, although the Commission said it needed time to review the decision.
The ruling shows how efforts by European regulators to crack down on the world’s biggest tech companies can be curtailed by the courts. Apple in 2020 appeal won Order to reimburse Ireland 13 billion euros in taxes, which is worth about $14.7 billion today. A higher court will hear another objection that case.
Courts will also decide the fate of more than $9 billion fines to be imposed on Google over the company’s unfair business practices in its shopping, cell phone and advertising businesses. Antitrust investigations are also ongoing against Facebook’s new company name, Amazon, Apple and Meta. And the European Union is drafting new antitrust laws that will expand the commission’s power to go after tech giants.
