EU court trims Qualcomm fine to 238.7 million euros

AN EU court on Wednesday (Sep 18) largely upheld an antitrust fine against US chip making giant Qualcomm but reduced the penalty slightly to 238.7 million euros (S$343.8 million).

The European Union hit Qualcomm with a fine of 242 million euros in 2019 after it found the company had engaged in “predatory pricing” in a bid to eliminate a competitor.

The dispute dates back to 2009 when British company Icera – since acquired by chip titan Nvidia – accused Qualcomm of anti-competitive practices.

The Luxembourg-based General Court rejected Qualcomm’s appeal against the fine, noting it had made a “detailed examination of all the pleas” it put forward.

But the judge made an “exception to a plea concerning the calculation of the amount of the fine, which it finds to be well-founded in part”.

The company reiterated on Wednesday that it had complied with EU antitrust law.

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“Qualcomm respectfully disagrees with the judgment and the commission’s decision and believes that we have always remained in compliance with European competition law,” the company said in a statement. AFP