back to article Intel demands $625m in interest from Europe on overturned antitrust fine

Having successfully appealed Europe's €1.06bn ($1.2bn) antitrust fine, Intel now wants €593m ($623.5m) in interest charges. In January, after years of contesting the fine, the x86 chip giant finally overturned the penalty, and was told it didn't have to pay up after all. The US tech titan isn't stopping there, however, and now …

  1. ShadowSystems

    Oh FFS...

    Will someone please slap the stupid out of that company? Pretty please, with a free pint on top?

  2. Trenjeska
    WTF?

    What interest?

    With interest being negative, They should PAY the EU for safekeeping their money...

  3. heyrick Silver badge

    Note that the court didn't say Intel was innocent, they said the commission fucked up and failed to directly prove that A led to B.

    So... where's the popcorn icon?

  4. VoiceOfTruth Silver badge

    Paid by the hour?

    -> after more than a decade of debate

    Pass round the biscuits again. We need to talk about this some more.

  5. david 12 Silver badge

    Manglement

    Wait, Intel's anti-competitive behavior didn't actually have any anti-competitive effect?

    Well, that was a major waste of money then :(

    1. Missing Semicolon Silver badge

      Re: Manglement

      Someone from Germany said "we want this chip factory. Make this go away" and the "independent, apolitical" European Court complied. The justification that the court has given is simply nonsense.

  6. Phil Kingston

    Wait, the fine was imposed in 2009 and it's still in the hands of lawyers? How the actual fuck does something take that long to sort out? And people think lawyers are nothing but money-grabbing con artists

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      We are talking

      about the E.U. aren't we? Speedy? They may have heard of the word but they will be clueless as to what it means.

      Cheers... Ishy

      1. Potemkine! Silver badge

        Re: We are talking

        It's not only about the EU. When it's in hand of courts you may sometimes have to wait for a long, long time. Especially when several courts are involved (General Court, Court of Justice then General Court again....)

      2. NeilPost Silver badge

        Re: We are talking

        The WTO wheels turn just as slow. Look at the Boeing/Airbus debacle on whose subsidies received were bad/market disrupting.

    2. Barrie Shepherd

      It takes that long to ensure that the "..........lawyers are nothing but money-grabbing con artists"

    3. Missing Semicolon Silver badge

      That's how these megacorps work. When called out for bad behaviour, they will appeal, and argue, and sue, and spend way more than they might save on lawyers. They have two aims. 1) no precedents, and 2) "nobody f*****s with us and wins. Just don't start".

  7. Ashto5

    Ban Intel from EU systems

    Just make the decision to not use any intel chips within the EU institutions.

    The EU will recoup the £650m payment in about 5 years.

    The EU could make a deal with its suppliers to only use a another chipset exclusively and get a huge discount.

    Job done move on.

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

      Re: Ban Intel from EU systems

      Just make the decision to not use any intel chips within the EU institutions.

      Ah yes, like the German plans to drop Microsoft for Linux. Then they flipped back again. I can just see all those eurocrats being soooo pleased to be told that their Macs and Lenovos will be replaced by ARM-based Linux models.

      1. localzuk Silver badge

        Re: Ban Intel from EU systems

        You're forgetting AMD. Their chips are directly compatible. Stopping using Intel would not be a hardship.

        1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

          Re: Ban Intel from EU systems

          True, although that might run foul of competition law. I can certainly see Intel lawyers rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of their legal fees to challenge it.

          1. Ragarath

            Re: Ban Intel from EU systems

            Is it not a free market, an institution choosing to choose one product over another is not anti-competitive.

            I think you thought it meant that every person in the EU had to use AMD, what was actually said was the EU as an institution.

      2. Kabukiwookie

        Re: Ban Intel from EU systems

        They didn't flip back due to technical reasons, but for financial incentives offered by MS.

        Aka bribery.

  8. Ashto5

    £650m to pay the lawyers fees

    Lawyers be having money fights in their plush offices.

    Seniors the only ones allowed to use the Ben Franklin notes.

    Ca-chiiinggg

  9. NeilPost Silver badge

    FUCK OFF

    Intel … please just F-U-C-K O-F-F.

    … and we’ll give your money grubbing subsidies to Samsung or TSMC instead.

  10. Cliffwilliams44 Silver badge

    Anti-Competitive or just stupid competitors

    Chip maker: Hey system maker, we'll give you a 10% rebate if you use our chips.

    System Maker: Sweet! Thanks

    Chip Competitor: Hey system maker, why are you not ordering our chips?

    System maker: Well, Chip Maker is giving us a 10% rebate.

    Chip Competitor: That's not fair, call the lawyers!

    And no one wins, no one gets more business and the only ones making the money are the lawyers!

    Why didn't the other manufacturers, i.e. AMD/ARM just offer an equal or better rebate! That's how competition works. But no! We can't use common sense, can't use negotiations, we have to immediately go to the lawyers! That's the major problem with the world today! TOO MANY LAWYERS!

    1. Lars Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: Anti-Competitive or just stupid competitors

      "AMD/ARM just offer an equal or better rebate! ".

      You seem to assume AMD/ARM.. knew about Intel's rebates and agreements, I am not so sure about that at all.

    2. aks

      Re: Anti-Competitive or just stupid competitors

      It wasn't the lawyers who brought the case. The EU (and USA and UK) see such massive "fines" as a way to extort money from large, profitable companies.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Anti-Competitive or just stupid competitors

      "Why didn't the other manufacturers, i.e. AMD/ARM just offer an equal or better rebate!"

      Arm don't make "chips". Difficult concept for many Commentards but it bears repeating.

      1. Sam Crawley
        Angel

        Re: Anti-Competitive or just stupid competitors

        You're saying they just connect HAND to SHOULDER?

    4. Falmari Silver badge

      Re: Anti-Competitive or just stupid competitors

      @Cliffwilliams44 “Chip maker: Hey system maker, we'll give you a 10% rebate if you use our chips.”

      But that is not what happened the rebates were conditional. The rebates themselves are not anticompetitive but the conditions maybe.

      For example, purchase more than a certain number of intel chips to qualify for a rebate condition would not be anticompetitive. But a condition that required 80% of the PCs made by the system maker must use intel chips to qualify for a rebate would be anticompetitive.

  11. codejunky Silver badge

    Hmm

    Its not unreasonable that Intel wants the money it should have had if the EU didnt take the undue money from them. That it takes a decade and the EU are talking about appealing this will drag on for how long? How can we expect things to get done when the law can tie up resources for this long? I expect some happy lawyers though

  12. Marty McFly Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

    This sounds like a bunch of grade school boys playing "mine's bigger" and never growing up....for 20 years.

  13. copeharder
    Trollface

    Eurofags seethe

    Lmfao @ the hoards of seething eurofags in the comments mad because they sued Intel frivolously and lost. Intel just wants to reclaim some of the cash they would've made on the money had they not needed to set it aside for mouth foaming eurotrash.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Eurofags seethe

      Welcome, Newbie Commentard Troll!

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