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Intel Challenges €376 Million EU Fine in Ongoing Antitrust Dispute

By  |  May 19, 2025

Intel has initiated a fresh legal challenge against the European Union’s antitrust authorities over a €376 million ($421.4 million) penalty imposed nearly two years ago, according to a statement reported by Reuters.

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    The conflict traces back to a 2009 European Commission decision that originally levied a record-breaking €1.06 billion fine against Intel, accusing the chipmaker of obstructing competitor Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). After a successful appeal, Intel saw that fine annulled by the General Court in 2022. However, per a statement from the court, a portion of the original ruling was upheld, resulting in the reinstatement of a reduced €376 million penalty connected specifically to Intel’s dealings with three computer manufacturers.

    This latest fine concerns Intel’s payments to HP, Acer, and Lenovo from November 2002 to December 2006. The payments were reportedly intended to delay or prevent these companies from launching rival products, a practice known as “naked restrictions” which is typically condemned by antitrust regulators, according to a statement from the Commission.

    Intel has returned to the General Court seeking to overturn this re-imposed fine. Intel’s legal representative, Daniel Beard, argued that the European Commission failed to properly assess the limited scope of the infringements, which affected only the three manufacturers named.

    Read more: Intel Challenges €376 Million EU Antitrust Fine in Ongoing Legal Battle

    Beard explained to the panel of judges, “The Commission cannot sustain a finding that there was an overall strategy to foreclose competitors from the entire x86 chips market. These were narrow, tactical moves.” He further stated, “The naked restrictions can’t be treated as in effect of equal weight to each of the pricing practices which were overturned. Nor do they have the same sort of cumulative effect or strategic weight.”

    The EU competition authority, however, dismissed Intel’s arguments. EU lawyer Pedro Caro de Sousa said, “The Commission correctly applied the finding guidelines, and when in doubt, opted in Intel’s favor.” He added that the fine “is clearly not disproportionate to the seriousness of Intel’s conduct, amounting to 1% of its turnover on the last year of the infringement, and about 0.5% of its turnover today.”

    Source: Verdict