As promised
When the European Commission (EC) announced a record €1.06 billion fine for Intel's claimed anticompetitive practices, CEO Paul Otellini said "Intel will appeal." Imagine our surprise, then, when it was revealed that Intel is appealing the fine.
Reuters has quoted Intel spokesman Robert Manetta as saying: "We believe the European Commission misinterpreted some evidence and ignored other pieces of evidence," while MarketWatch has this comment from fellow spokesman Chuck Mulloy: "Our position is that the decision was wrong and we said that from the day it was announced. It was wrong on many levels."
It also has a response from EC spokeman Mattias Sundholm, saying the EC is: "confident that its antitrust decision against Intel is legally watertight."
It's not uncommon for companies to appeal large fines indefinitely, reasoning that the interest earned on the sum in question more than pays for the army of lawyers required. But Intel has already accounted for the fine and has said it intended to pay it and then claim it back if it wins the appeal, so it will be interesting to see if it delivers on this promise.
