Sources say the European Commission is preparing to send a statement of objections to makers of microchips for smart cards outlining complaints and concerns that date back four years. Three sources have revealed that the makers of the microchips, which are used in SIM cards, identification cards and bank cards, may be fixing their prices and colluding to exchange market-sensitive information with each other. In 2008, several of those chip companies said the Commission raided their offices as part of an investigation. Europe’s third-largest chipmaker, NXP Semiconductors NC, announced earlier this month that it is involved in the investigation and may be fined by the Commission.
Featured News
Missoula Takes Stand Against Price-Fixing Algorithms in Rental Market
Jul 16, 2025 by
CPI
Canada Approves Major Oilfield Merger with Conditions to Protect Competition
Jul 16, 2025 by
CPI
States Move to Regulate Brain Data Collected by Wearable Consumer Devices
Jul 16, 2025 by
CPI
Trial Begins in Shareholder Suit Over Facebook’s $5 Billion FTC Fine
Jul 16, 2025 by
CPI
Federal Judge Grants Preliminary Victory to NFL in Antitrust Merchandise Lawsuit
Jul 16, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Surveillance Pricing
Jul 14, 2025 by
CPI
Should We Fear Personalized Pricing?
Jul 14, 2025 by
John Yun
Data and Price Competition: The Special Role of Information About Rivals’ Prices
Jul 14, 2025 by
Zach Y. Brown & Alexander MacKay
Surveillance Pricing: A Cautionary Summary of Potential Harms and Solutions
Jul 14, 2025 by
Ginger Zhe Jin, Liad Wagman & Mengyi Zhong
The Rise of Surveillance Pricing
Jul 14, 2025 by
Rebecca Kirk Fair, Alvaro Ziadi & Juan Carvajal