The  European Union's top court has upheld a record $1.43 billion fine that was levied against Intel Corp. in 2009 for abusing its power as a top company in the microprocessor market. The General Court in Luxembourg dismissed the appeal in its entirety, despite arguments made by Intel Corp. that the case against them was based on mistakes and ignored evidence.The appeal upheld a ruling made in 2009 that said Intel had blocked Advanced Micro Devices.

Rebates

Between 2002 and 2007, the European Commission found that Intel Corp. gave rebates to PC makers Dell, Hewlett-Packard Co., Japan's NEC and Lenovo to favor its chips over others. The investigation also concluded that Intel Corp. paid Media Saturn, a German chain, to only use its chips to stock their computers.  Intel Corp. reported it would be evaluating the ruling. Sources: BBC News and The Wall Street Journal.