The European Commission has imposed a fine of €376.36 million ($400 million) on Intel for its anticompetitive practices, marking the conclusion of one part of the company’s long-standing antitrust battle with the European authority. This development follows a previous record-breaking fine of €1.06 billion ($1.13 billion) levied against Intel in 2009. At that time, the European Commission found that Intel had abused its dominant position in the market.
Background on Previous Fine
In 2009, the European Commission determined that Intel had engaged in anticompetitive behavior by offering hidden rebates and incentives to manufacturers such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo. These incentives were aimed at encouraging these manufacturers to purchase a significant portion or all of their processors from Intel. Additionally, Intel allegedly paid manufacturers to delay or halt the launch of products powered by rival CPUs, a practice referred to as “naked restrictions.” The European Commission concluded that these actions constituted antitrust violations.
