EU Court of Justice rules for Intel in battle with EU regulators News
Bru-nO / Pixabay
EU Court of Justice rules for Intel in battle with EU regulators

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Thursday ruled in favor of Intel, annulling a €1.06 billion fine imposed by the European Commission nearly 15 years ago. The case focused on allegations that the US chip-maker abused its dominant market position by providing exclusive rebates to manufacturers, thereby hindering competition from its rival, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

The European Commission originally fined Intel €1.06 billion ($1.2 billion) in 2009, alleging violations of EU competition law that occurred between 2002 and 2007. The Commission claimed that Intel abused its dominant position in the x86 processor market by offering rebates to PC manufacturers for purchasing its chips, particularly targeting companies like Dell and HP. It centered on the assertion that these practices constituted an infringement of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which prohibits any abuse by firms of their dominant market positions.

In 2014, the EU General Court upheld the Commission’s ruling, but Intel appealed the decision to the CJEU. In a prior ruling, the CJEU set aside the General Court’s judgment, leading to a re-examination of the case. Following this, the General Court partially annulled the Commission’s decision and completely revoked the fine against Intel. The Commission subsequently appealed the General Court’s 2022 ruling, claiming that it contained procedural irregularities and legal errors, particularly concerning the as-efficient-competitor test, which is a standard used to assess the competitive effects of a dominant firm’s actions.

However, the CJEU rejected all grounds of the Commission’s appeal. The Court affirmed that it is the General Court’s role to scrutinize the Commission’s assessments and that it must thoroughly evaluate any arguments challenging those conclusions. The CJEU also emphasized that the General Court cannot justify the Commission’s decision based on reasoning not explicitly presented in the original ruling.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.