Case T-671/19: Judgment of the General Court of 18 September 2024 – Qualcomm v Commission (Qualcomm – Predation) (Competition – Abuse of dominant position – Market for UMTS baseband chipsets – Decision finding an infringement of Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement – Predatory pricing – Competence of the author of the act – Rights of the defence – Definition of the relevant market – Dominant position – Abuse – Reconstruction of prices – Determining the cost benchmark – Price-cost test – No requirement to demonstrate the existence of actual effects – Intention to eliminate a competitor – Objective justification – Calculation of the fine – 2006 Guidelines on the method of setting fines – Value of sales – Additional amount – Unlimited jurisdiction)
Date: 2024-09-18
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: control of restrictive practices, cost analysis, dominant position, electronic component, rights of the defence, sanction (EU), selling at a loss








C_202406421EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/6421


4.11.2024






Judgment of the General Court of 18 September 2024 – Qualcomm v Commission (Qualcomm – Predation)


(Case T-671/19)
                (1)

(Competition - Abuse of dominant position - Market for UMTS baseband chipsets - Decision finding an infringement of Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement - Predatory pricing - Competence of the author of the act - Rights of the defence - Definition of the relevant market - Dominant position - Abuse - Reconstruction of prices - Determining the cost benchmark - Price-cost test - No requirement to demonstrate the existence of actual effects - Intention to eliminate a competitor - Objective justification - Calculation of the fine - 2006 Guidelines on the method of setting fines - Value of sales - Additional amount - Unlimited jurisdiction)
(C/2024/6421)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Applicant: Qualcomm, Inc. (San Diego, California, United States) (represented by: M. Davilla, M. Pinto de Lemos Fermiano Rato, M. English and A. Kontosakou, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: H. van Vliet, G. Conte, M. Farley and C. Urraca Caviedes, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant: Nvidia Corp (Dover, Delaware, United States) (represented by: M. Dolmans, lawyer, P. Stuart, Barrister-at-Law and W. Lin, Solicitor)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks annulment of Commission Decision C(2019) 5361 final of 18 July 2019 relating to a proceeding under Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement (Case AT.39711 – Qualcomm (predation)) or, failing that, the cancellation or reduction of the fine imposed on it in that decision.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Annuls Article 2 of Commission Decision C(2019) 5361 final of 18 July 2019 relating to a proceeding under Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement (Case AT.39711 – Qualcomm (predation));










2.


Sets the amount of the fine imposed on Qualcomm Inc. in Article 2 of that decision, for the infringement it committed, as results from Article 1 of that decision, at EUR 238 732 659,33;










3.


Dismisses the action as to the remainder;










4.


Orders Qualcomm to bear nine tenths of its own costs and to pay nine tenths of the European Commission’s costs and to pay all the costs of Nvidia Corp;










5.


Orders the Commission to bear one tenth of its own costs and to pay one tenth of Qualcomm’s costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 77, 9.3.2020.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6421/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)