EU Competition Commission Joaquin Almunia has fined Philips, Samsung and Infineon a total of 138 million euros for fixing prices of microchips used in SIM cards for mobile phones, bank cards, identity cards, passports and pay TV cards.<br /><br />Brussels said the companies also got together between 2003 and 2005 to discuss customers, production capacity and future market conduct.<br /><br />Samsung was fined just over 35 million euros and Philips a little over 20 million.<br /><br />German chipmaker Infineon, which received the biggest penalty – almost 83 million euros – rejected the EU finding, saying it would take its case to Europe’s second highest court in Luxembourg. <br /><br />Philips also said it would challenge the decision in court and called it “unfounded”. <br /><br />The companies had sought to settle the case in return for a 10 percent cut in the fines but talks subsequently broke down. <br /><br />Renesas Technology, a joint venture between Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric – that was acquired by Renesas Electronics in 2010 – escaped a fine of more than 51 million euros as it was the first to alert the EU competition authority about the cartel.<br /><br />with Reuters
