EU planning on fining Intel for abousing monopoly situation.

Intel will soon be prosecuted by the European union for giving out discounts to manufacturers if they accept to not use the products of the competition in their assembled pc's. If found guilty (and evidence appears to be quite overwhelming) they can be fined by up to 10% of their annual income, around 2.6 billion Euro. Huge store chains that have closed deals on those terms with Intel also face prosecution.

Source site is German: FTD.de - IT+Telekommunikation - Nachrichten - EU bricht Intels Vertriebsmacht

Intel will probably, if found guilty, just pay the fine and continue ruining the processor market.

The EU needs to be abolished. They are the fu*k-up's of the world. I'm sick and tired of their ignorant policies. As it stands the United States has just filed a complaint against the EU for being STUPID :-)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over European tariffs on three categories of high-tech goods, including flat-panel computer monitors and some computer printers.

The duties, which are as high as 14 percent, would make printers by Hewlett-Packard Co. and television set-top boxes by Cisco Systems Inc. — among other products — less competitive in the European Union.

The complaint, strongly supported by the U.S. high-tech industry, also reflects the Bush administration's concern that the EU's duties violate a 1996 WTO agreement that eliminated tariffs on information technology equipment.

"The EU is effectively taxing innovation," Schwab said. "We wanted to make sure that the commitments to give duty-free treatment to these products would be maintained in the face of the evolution of technology."

But the EU has said it can charge duties on the goods, which include cable and satellite boxes that can access the Internet and printers that can also scan, fax and copy, because they incorporate new technologies.

Total worldwide exports of the products included in the complaint totaled $70 billion in 2007.

The WTO confirmed Wednesday that it received the U.S. complaint, which initiates a 60-day consultation period with the European Union. After that, the U.S. may ask a WTO panel to rule on the dispute.

The European Commission said in a statement that it was willing to renegotiate the 1996 Information Technology Agreement to cover new products, but the United States has refused to do so.

"Both the spirit and explicit provisions in the ITA make it clear that extension to new products to reflect technological change would not be automatic, but based on periodic review by signatories," the commission said.

The EU said that the flat-panel screens cited by the U.S., for example, are capable of working with DVD players, not just computers, and are therefore properly classified as video monitors, which are not covered by the ITA.

U.S. trade officials have raised their concerns about the EU's tariffs several times with European officials in the past 20 months, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said, to no avail.

Japan has also filed a complaint against the EU on the same issue, the USTR said.

Originally Posted by Slaymate

The EU needs to be abolished. They are the fu*k-up's of the world. I'm sick and tired of their ignorant policies. As it stands the United States has just filed a complaint against the EU for being STUPID :-)

I don't care for what Intel is doing in the US, but if Intel wants to sell here in Europe they simply shouldn't offend the European Law. And the latter says that a company having markets may not form a syndicate/cartel to kick out their concurrence.

Ok, we have some stupid laws here but it is not really better in America. Like companies that may collect your personal data unless you "opt-out" for that. As if you're gonna opt-out personally by every company you're dealing with. Then I rather have our law that says you gotta "opt-in". In such a case a company has to ask you. So I wonder when it's time for Google's ass to be kicked by our "lovely" Union.

Oh I forgot about that article of yours about those import tariffs. We, Europeans that is, always have been paying taxes. Unlike the few dollars of you guys. We simply don't complain and pay lot of money to our governments. For a major part to pay our troops that your president likes to send to the Middle East.

I read about the same complaint as Slaymate did. Interesting material I have some strong opinions about, but they aren't connected to this monopoly topic of Intel at all.

What is relevant to this topic is the fact that AMD have filed a similar lawsuit against Intel in the states of which you can find all data here: http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/cont..._Complaint.pdf

This lawsuit dates back to 2005 and is still up and running now with AMD most likely to win. Too bad it's the consumer who ultimately already lost in this battle since Intel has been keeping it's prices artificially high since 1996.

The way I see it, the EU is responsible for everyone in Europe having to pay more for Technology. If you like paying more, just continue to support them. They fine Microsoft for providing free products with there Operating Systems when you don't have to use them. If I was Bill Gates's I would of just quit selling in Europe. Now there after Intel for deceptive practices, AMD sucks what's so deceptive. If Intel is smart they'll just shut down the European Market. Then you all can tell me how much fun AMD is. And the EU's opinion on Monitors is just a way to rape their own citizens. Defend them and trust them if you want. But all I see is a corrupt Institution.

Originally Posted by Richard_Rahl

Oh I forgot about that article of yours about those import tariffs. We, Europeans that is, always have been paying taxes. Unlike the few dollars of you guys. We simply don't complain and pay lot of money to our governments. For a major part to pay our troops that your president likes to send to the Middle East.

I'm sure I pay more in taxes than you do. But I pay for the income I make. I'm not raped for being poor.
And let's just let the Terrorist have free will. No reason to fight them. They won't blow up stuff all the time. Only when we don't praise Muhammed. Get real, hopefully by the time your 50 you'll realize the truth and see the world for what it is.

Originally Posted by Slaymate

And let's just let the Terrorist have free will. No reason to fight them. They won't blow up stuff all the time. Only when we don't praise Muhammed. Get real, hopefully by the time your 50 you'll realize the truth and see the world for what it is.

I just mean that the EU goes were america goes. And that we are paying a higher price then you may think (just think of Uruzgan). Get real, you cannot beat them by simply going there and make the hell even bigger then it already was for the civilians there. In their view, they (the locals) have to face two threats. That is the extremists and the folks they regard as barbarians from "the West". So there is no way to beat the extremists, unless we go there and exterminate the populace indiscriminately. And I am sure you don't want that either.

@ Gazz: Sorry for getting so far off-topic. But I had to give my opinion, I really needed to hold back actually, else I would have been also explaining why the locals see us as barbarians.

Talking about prices,
how much do you americans pay for a gallon unleaded?

the way i see it it does't matter if you live in US, EU or anywhere in the world.- all politicians and goverments are fucked up. right now we got some hideous thing called the merkel as councler. we didn't vote for her (hi USA) but she still became our councler. and what's up with people who say that videogames are bad getting paid by our goverment??? you basicly become a politian if you make that statement official. I should do that. join their lobby and make some accusation against things i dont know jack about and gettin really mad when i feel like people won'tcoop with me. and one day i will return to the US and become govenator of Utah or so

I just paid $4.11 a gal to fill up my car yesterday. $57 all together.