The EU’s second-highest court upheld an earlier verdict and found Qualcomm guilty of what is known as predatory pricing. However, the court reduced the fine from €242 million to €238.7 million.
The case concerns Qualcomm’s contract with British software maker Icera, now part of Nvidia. Between 2009 and 2011, Qualcomm sold chips below cost. This practice is intended to exclude other competitors from the potential deal.
Qualcomm filed numerous appeals, including one arguing that the Qualcomm-Icera deal represented only 0.7% of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System market, making the case fairly insignificant. However, the European court only accepted the case that requested a reduction in the fine, hence the minor adjustment.
But it doesn’t stop there: Qualcomm can now also appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU, the highest body within the EU system.