EU's Top Court Backs Intel's Appeal of 2009 Antitrust Fine

The European Union's highest court on Wednesday backed Intel Corp.'s appeal of a 2009 EU antitrust fine, referring the case back to a lower court to re-examine the company's arguments and dealing a blow to the bloc's antitrust regulator.

The European Court of Justice said the lower court failed to examine whether Intel's rebates to other companies restricted competition.

The ECJ decision could have ramifications for other cases, including the regulator's antitrust probe into Qualcomm Inc., which it accuses of illegally paying Apple Inc. to exclusively use its chips and selling chips below cost to force a competitor, Icera Inc., out of the market.

The ruling could also embolden companies challenging the commission in court over antitrust decisions--cases the regulator typically wins.

Write to Natalia Drozdiak at natalia.drozdiak@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 06, 2017 04:29 ET (08:29 GMT)