Thursday, July 23rd 2009
Intel Appeals Against EU Antitrust Verdict
Earlier this year in May, the European Commission for anti-competitive practices found Intel guilty of various antitrust practices. The company was then slapped with a massive 1.06 billion Euro (US $1.45 billion) fine, the single largest antitrust fine it has ever meted out to a company. On Wednesday, Intel explored its legal option of appealing against the fine with Court of First Instance in Luxembourg, Europe's second highest judicial body. The company argues that the EC regulator failed to consider the evidence that supported Intel's contention during the trial.
In a telephone interview with ComputerWorld, Robert Manetta, an Intel spokesperson said "We believe the Commission misinterpreted some evidence and ignored other pieces of evidence." Meanwhile, apart from the fine Intel is expected to pay within three months of the verdict, the ruling also puts a stop to Intel's rebates to PC manufacturers and retailers on condition of near or total exclusivity, among several other deemed malpractices. Authorities in South Korea and Japan found similar irregularities in Intel's marketing methods, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and New York Attorney General's office are investigating the company for abuse of its monopoly position.
Source:
ComputerWorld
In a telephone interview with ComputerWorld, Robert Manetta, an Intel spokesperson said "We believe the Commission misinterpreted some evidence and ignored other pieces of evidence." Meanwhile, apart from the fine Intel is expected to pay within three months of the verdict, the ruling also puts a stop to Intel's rebates to PC manufacturers and retailers on condition of near or total exclusivity, among several other deemed malpractices. Authorities in South Korea and Japan found similar irregularities in Intel's marketing methods, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and New York Attorney General's office are investigating the company for abuse of its monopoly position.
307 Comments on Intel Appeals Against EU Antitrust Verdict
mailman and the rest, sorry if we detracted from your enjoyment of the thread, I was having fun laughing as other people got pissed off at what a friend of mine refers to "ghosts in the machine" (aka people online) and wasnt thinking about how it could be pissing some people off watching us spar.
again sorry for the inconvenience :)
Has/will Intel appeal against the decision in Japan (or what ever the country was) that found them guilty of the same thing, or are they only choosing EU because of the HUMONGOUS fine?
sorry if i sound like im being a smartass but its just as easy for one person to google/bing as another :)
Now if they are appealing to the EU to get the fine reduced, for example, then i one hundred percent agree with them. The sum was just stupid, and looked on all sides as if it was just randomly picked out of a hat.
Others have tried the same thing in their appeal with the EU and failed. Intel most likely will fail too.
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/intel-tells-eu-court-antitrust-fine-violated-its-human-rights.ars
As far as I know, Intel isn't going to appeal the South Korean fine which is only $25.4 million. I mean, they haven't really said anything about it since 2008. An appeal could still be coming but I doubt it.
*unsubscribe
If they truly thought they were innocent, they should spend the money to right the wrongs of the Korean court.
On the other hand, appealing on "human rights" in the EU might be. At the same time, the EU pretty much put Intel in legal peril. Intel can't present any evidence that would refute the claims (what could they present?) and anything they do present could also be used against them. It is a lose-lose situation for them to fight it in terms of innocence/guilt. They are only seeking to decrease the fine which is very likely to fail. Their legal options are virtually non-existent--they are screwed, guilty or not.
This is one of the problems with antitrust, there is no proving innocence. Being a market leader basically means you have no defense. This is why courts must exercise caution and restraint with antitrust laws.
But then, I forget -- some people actually admire companies that lie, cheat, and steal their way to the top, stepping over the little guy in the process. ;)
Those are the people who were strong-armed by Intel into buying only Intel-made chips.
But, like I said, there are some people in the world who not only forgive this behavior but admire it. It's a primitive behavior, and one that unfortunately won't be stamped out in the next few centuries or so. :shadedshu
P.S.: Have fun with your mindless "everything-European" bashing. And then I'm the troll, but then again from your speech one can only conclude one of two things: you're either clueless or a Intel fanboy/Euro hater.