What the EU Qualcomm ruling means for big tech antitrust efforts
This week, Qualcomm successfully appealed against a €997 million ($1 billion) fine imposed by European Union regulators in 2019. The fine was originally given after the European Commission ruled that between 2011 and 2016, the chipmaker had paid billions of dollars to Apple to exclusively use its chips in all of its iPhones and iPads, an act that breaks EU antitrust laws.
The decision to nullify the fine came after the second highest court in Europe, The General Court, found that “a number of procedural irregularities affected Qualcomm’s rights of defense”, ultimately invalidating the Commission’s analysis.