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ARTICLE · 07 NOVEMBER 2018

EU Cartels Developments In September 2018

Van Bael & Bellis
Van Bael & Bellis
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Van Bael & Bellis

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Court of Justice partly upholds Infineon appeal against General Court judgment in Smart card chip cartel case, but dismisses Philips appeal.

European UnionAntitrust/Competition Law
Richard Burton
Richard Burton
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In this article, we give a factual overview of a significant case development at EU level in the month of September 2018, and then provide a more detailed analysis of the development addressed.

  1. Summary of Significant Case Developments

Court of Justice partly upholds Infineon appeal against General Court judgment in Smart card chip cartel case, but dismisses Philips appeal

On 26 September 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("ECJ") delivered two judgments on the appeals brought by Infineon and Philips against the General Court ("GC")'s earlier judgments relating to the European Commission's decision in Smart card chips cartel case.

By way of background, in 2014, the Commission issued a decision imposing fines totalling €138 million in connection with a cartel on the market for smart card chips used in mobile SIM cards, bank cards, and other applications. According to the Commission, four competing suppliers of smart card chips –

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