In a significant ruling, the European Union's top court has dismissed the EU Commission's appeal against a lower court decision that annulled a €1.06 billion antitrust penalty on chipmaker Intel. The penalty, imposed in 2009, was equivalent to $1.45 billion at the time.

The case centered on Intel's "conditional rebates" to computer manufacturers for using its chips. While the Commission argued that these rebates were anti-competitive, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ultimately disagreed.

However, Intel is not entirely off the hook. The 2022 ruling confirmed that the company's "naked restrictions" – practices involving payments to PC makers to halt or delay production of products containing rival chips – were unlawful. Intel did not appeal this finding, leading to a new fine of around $400 million issued by the EU last fall.

This ruling has significant implications for the tech industry, as it sets a precedent for the limits of competitive practices in the chipmaking sector. It also underscores the importance of ensuring fair competition in the market.