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Intel Continues Fighting EU Antitrust Fine

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In 2009 the European Commission fined Intel €1.06 billion for abusing of its dominant market position. Seven years on Intel is still fighting the ruling as it files a final appeal to get it overturned.

European CommissionThe decision came about through an EU probe on whether a company with very large market share "can pursue a commercial strategy, the focus of which is the marginalisation or even the elimination of its only competitor.” According to the EC was attempting to do so through loyalty rebates to lower retail prices, thus unfairly squeezing out AMD.

Other anti-competitive practices from Intel during the 2002-2005 uncovered by the probe include restrictive conditions on rival processor use on PC makers (specifically Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and NEC) and payments to retails who exclusively sold Intel Inside PCs.

The probe found only one retailer receiving payments to be an Intel Inside exclusive, but the name is significant name-- Media Markt, the biggest CE retailer in Europe.

However, Intel insists the EC has failed to analyse "all relevant circumstances" surrounding the rebate issue. As such, Chipzilla's lawyers say the Commission should have more proof before accusing Intel of wanting to effectively shut AMD down.

Chipzilla already filed an appeal against the fine back in 2014-- one the EU General Court rejected, thus boosting the EC's probes in other industry giants, such as Google and Qualcomm.

Go Intel Fights Record Antitrust Fine at Top EU Court (Bloomberg)