On 26 June 2019, the European Commission announced that it
has
opened a formal investigation to determine whether US
chipmaker, Broadcom, is abusing its allegedly dominant position in
the markets for modem and TV chipsets through its imposition of
exclusivity requirements on customers (amongst other alleged
breaches of competition law). In parallel, the Commission issued a
Statement of Objections notifying Broadcom of its intention to
impose an interim measures order restraining its allegedly
exclusionary practices pending conclusion of the investigation.
This is the first time in nearly two decades that such interim
measures have been pursued by the Commission. It also comes at a
time when the Commission is coming under pressure to ensure
competition law enforcement is timely and effective, particularly
in respect of fast-moving digital markets.
