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Intel Fined by India’s Competition Regulator Over Discriminatory Warranty Policy

By  |  February 22, 2026

India’s antitrust watchdog has imposed a financial penalty on Intel Corporation after determining that the chipmaker enforced a discriminatory warranty policy for its boxed microprocessors in the country.

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    The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Thursday levied a penalty of INR 27.38 crores, or roughly $3.3 million, on the company for breaching provisions of Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002, according to a statement issued by the regulator. The case was initiated following information submitted by Matrix Info Systems Private Limited.

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    The complaint centered on changes Intel introduced to its warranty terms in India beginning April 25, 2016. Under the revised policy, the company would honor warranty claims only for Intel boxed microprocessors purchased from authorized distributors within India. Per a statement detailing the findings, the Commission concluded that this India-specific requirement effectively restricted warranty support for products obtained through other channels, including parallel imports.

    After reviewing the matter, the CCI determined that Intel holds a dominant position in the relevant market for boxed microprocessors used in desktop computers in India. According to a statement from the regulator, the Commission found that the India-focused warranty framework differed from Intel’s practices in China, Australia, and other global markets.

    “The Commission also found the aforesaid policy to have limited the choice of consumers and parallel importers and thereby causing an appreciable adverse effect on Indian consumers,” the CCI said.

    The watchdog calculated the penalty at 8% of Intel’s average relevant turnover, noting that the policy had been in effect for approximately eight years. However, the final fine was reduced to INR 27.38 crores after the regulator considered mitigating factors. Per a statement, these factors included Intel’s decision to discontinue the India-specific warranty policy effective April 1, 2024.

    In addition to the monetary penalty, the CCI has directed Intel to widely publicize the withdrawal of the disputed warranty policy and to submit a compliance report confirming adherence to the order, according to a statement accompanying the decision.

    Source: AOL