Intel Wins Relief in India Antitrust Case
NCLAT stayed recovery of the CCI penalty while ordering Intel to notify consumers of its withdrawn warranty policy.
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[Image source: Pankaj Kirdatt/MITSMR India]
Intel Corp. won interim relief from the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), which stayed recovery of the ₹27.38 crore (about $3 million) antitrust penalty imposed over the chipmaker’s India-specific warranty policy for boxed microprocessors for desktops.
The tribunal also directed Intel to notify consumers that the policy has been withdrawn, while the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI’s) February order remains under challenge.
The CCI fined Intel on 12 February after finding the company dominant in the market for boxed microprocessors for desktops in India and holding that its India-specific warranty policy was discriminatory.
Under that policy, Intel honored warranty claims in India only for boxed processors bought from authorized Indian distributors or channels recognized under the India-specific regime, excluding products sourced abroad through parallel imports from local warranty coverage.
The regulator said the policy limited consumer choice and harmed parallel importers.
NCLAT said coercive action and recovery of the penalty would remain stayed until the next hearing, noting that Intel had already deposited 25% of the amount.
The next hearing is scheduled for 23 April.
The case arose from a complaint filed by Matrix Info Systems Pvt. Ltd, challenging the policy introduced in 2016.
The CCI said Intel had discontinued the India-specific warranty policy with effect from 1 April 2024, but still imposed the penalty because the policy had remained in force for about eight years.
