The EU Court of Justice, part of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, has quashed a fine of almost 1 billion euros that the European Commission had imposed on the American chip group Qualcomm in early 2018.
Qualcomm, which produces chipsets for smartphones, among other things, was accused by the European Union of abusing its dominant position in the global market for chipsets compatible with the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard. But according to the General Court of the European Court of Justice, Qualcomm’s rights of defence were not respected. The Commission’s decision is, therefore ‘completely’ quashed, it said in a statement.
According to the Commission, Qualcomm abused its dominant position from February 2011 to September 2016. There were exclusive payments by Qualcomm to Apple, payments that could be anti-competitive because Apple was limited in its ability to source other LTE chipset suppliers. to take. Apple only turned to Qualcomm to supply chips for its iPhones and iPads.
At the end of January 2018, the Commission fined Qualcomm EUR 997 million. The company has also been convicted in China, South Korea, the United States and Taiwan for its commercial practices.
