Intel Claims EU Fine Violates Human Rights
Intel has appealed the European Union's $1.45 billion fine, claiming the fine from the European Union violates basic Human Rights.
Following a review of Intel's pricing model that spanned many months, European Union regulators slapped the chip maker with a billion Euro fine back in May. Intel has long denied charges related to rebates offered as long as manufacturers agreed to obtain the majority of their processors from Intel as well as paying them to either to delay or cancel the launch of AMD based products and when ordered to pay the company maintained its actions were within legal boundaries and vowed to appeal the ruling.
Intel is reportedly saying that the way Europe ran the antitrust hearing violated its human rights. According to the Wall Street Journal, Intel's argument could be something like this: The European Union's Antitrust Commissioner is the Netherlands' Neelie Kroe. Given that it's up to Kroe to supervise investigations, decide who's guilty and issue fines, Intel could have beef with fact that everything is decided by a political bureaucrat and not a judge and/or jury.
All of that aside, the precise details of Intel's appeal are not yet publicly known. We'll update soon as more information is available. Intel made headlines yesterday when it announced the laying off of 294 people in its Irish fab.
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Given that Intel is a corporate and not an individual, calling them 'human rights' just makes Intel's argument sound quite pathetic. I don't know if that's based on things Intel has issued or if that's a Tom's hardware issue.
In this country at least (England&Wales) it's quite possible to have delegated powers to allow something like fines issued other than by a court. If there's any route of appeal, which I'd assume there is, then there's no real issue. If not then they could challenge whether the EU Commission has been acting outside of its powers ('ultra vires' iirc) or if its powers are not legal within the EU treaties/directives that founded it.
I wouldn't call either of the options challenges against human rights.
Maybe I'm just having a rant though - the intracicies of EU law often escape me.
Further to swamprat's point I wasn't aware that a corporate entity had basic human rights.
It would be different if the case were aimed at specific individuals or if the fines imposed significant negative effects on its employees, but a legal and commercial construct in and of itself operates and is governed differently.
I could be talking crap of course.
Didn't you know its a magic bullet is human rights you can murder whole reams of people or blow thousands to bits but if your human rights are violated, you know like not enough soft cussions in your cell you stand to make hundreds of thousands.
Mactronix
How pathetic of Intel. Corperations do not deserve human rights. They're not individials. They should get used to the European economic model.