A PYMNTS Company

EU: Qualcomm loses data refusal challenge

By  |  April 9, 2019

According to a report from Reuters, Qualcomm lost its EU General Court bid challenging a regulator request for more information related to an antitrust probe.

The world’s no. 1 chipmaker had already provided the information after being ordered to pay a daily fine for withholding it, but the Luxembourg-based General Court’s ruling is expected to strengthen the Commission’s hand in future similar cases.

Qualcomm has been under the EU spotlight since 2015, when it was accused of predatory pricing between 2009 and 2011 aimed at forcing out British phone software maker Icera, subsequently bought by Nvidia Corp.

As part of the investigation, the Commission in January 2017 told Qualcomm to provide more information. The company said the request went beyond the investigation’s scope and took its grievance to the General Court.

While waiting for a judgment, Qualcomm however acceded to the EU demand to avoid a daily €580,000 (US$655,000) penalty for its delayed response.

The Luxembourg-based court on Tuesday, April 9, dismissed the company’s case.

Full Content: Reuters

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.