Following up on our articles where the European Union charged Google with antitrust practices, Qualcomm is the latest California company to incur their wrath. Last week, the EU antitrust regulators revealed they were investigating the chip maker for unfair practices.
The regulators have launched two separate probes of Qualcomm. One alleging that the mobile chip giant offered financial rewards to purchasers of 4G phone and tablet chips in an effort to incentivize them to buy exclusively from Qualcomm. The second investigation alleges predatory pricing practices. Specifically that Qualcomm sold chips at less than cost to drive competitors from the market.
This isn’t the first time this year that the chip maker has faced penalties for its practices. In February, they paid a fine of $975 million following a fourteen month investigation by the Chinese government. This latest investigation by the European Union regulators seems to be part of an ongoing push to ensure that companies in Europe have a level playing field when offering products to consumers.
European Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager stated, “We are launching these investigations because we want to be sure that high-tech suppliers can compete on the merits of their products. Many customers use electronic devices, such as a mobile phone or a tablet, and we want to ensure that they ultimately get value for money.” If found guilty, Qualcomm could face a fine of up to 10 percent of global profits.
The bottom line seems to be that technology manufacturers worldwide need to really adhere to the rules and regulations of whichever market that they are marketing in or face the penalties that may be levied against them.
Stay tuned.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and we sincerely hope you found it helpful and enjoyable! Please feel free to leave your thoughts down below in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe to Bane Tech on YouTube, Google+, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!
Began writing for Bane-Tech August 2014, due to an ever-growing passion for mobile and Android in particular.
Computer programmer 1981 to 2015. Currently retired. Active You Tuber (Mobile Geezer:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/MobileGeezer
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mobilegeezer/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MobileGeezer
Google Plus - https://plus.google.com/b/106433550154529693622/?pageId=106433550154529693622).
Sax player and singer in various bands (rock and R&R) since the mid 60's. Avid motorcycle rider (Gold Wing), bicyclist and exercise enthusiast. Extreme lover of driving and biking (motorcycle). The more thousand miles the trip, the happier I am as the driver.
Dedicated, Bible-believing Christian who makes no judgments on others .
- 4th Quarter 2017 – bountiful choices galore - October 8
- Apple iPhone event today – delayed release rumored - September 12
- The Essential Phone – has this become a saga? - August 8
