Intel Fined Rp6.1 Trillion By EU In Monopoly Case That Occurs One Decade Then

Intel was fined IDR 6.1 trillion in the EU antitrust case (photo: dock. pexles)

JAKARTA - Intel was fined 376 million euros (IDR 6.1 trillion) on Friday 22 September in an EU antitrust case stemming from the anti-competitive practices of the United States chipmaker company nearly two decades ago, to deter competitors.

An initial fine of 1.06 billion euros in 2009 for the breach and other practices, was canceled last year by the Supreme Court based in Luxembourg, Europe's second-highest court.

However, the court agreed with the European Commission that Intel illegally blocked competitors from the market that prompted EU antitrust watchdogs to reopen the case.

The 2009 ruling alleges Intel is blocking its rival, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

On Friday, EU watchdog said it had reimposed fines on practices taking place between November 2002 and December 2006 when Intel paid HP, Acer, and Lenovo to stop or delay competing products.

"The Supreme Court confirms that Intel's restrictions constitute abuse of the dominant position under EU competition rules," the European Commission said in a statement.

Intel said they were assessing their options.

"We are analyzing decisions and fines to determine the basis and prospects for the success of the appeal to the European Court," the company said in a statement.

Intel is currently awaiting approval by the Commission for a German state subsidy of nearly 10 billion euros to build a chip manufacturing facility in Germany.

The Commission has filed an appeal against another part of last year's Supreme Court ruling relating to the conditional rebate offered by Intel at the EU Justice Court, Europe's highest court.