LONDON — On Thursday, chip manufacturer Intel celebrated a significant legal victory in its ongoing dispute with European Union competition authorities. The EU’s highest court affirmed a lower court’s ruling that nullified a substantial antitrust fine against the company.

The European Court of Justice announced its decision to uphold the annulment of a fine that had been imposed over ten years ago, dismissing an appeal from the European Commission, which oversees antitrust enforcement within the 27-member bloc. The court’s ruling included a statement indicating that it “rejects all of the grounds of appeal raised by the Commission,” as summarized in the official release regarding the judgment.

Intel expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating in a release that it is “pleased with the judgment delivered by the Court of Justice of the European Union today,” and noted its intention to move forward after closing this chapter in the longstanding legal battle.

The origins of this case date back to 2009 when the European Commission accused Intel of employing unfair sales practices to undermine its smaller rival, AMD. The Commission had levied a fine of 1.06 billion euros (equivalent to approximately $1.14 billion) against Intel, alleging that the company leveraged its dominant market position in x86 microprocessors to engage in exclusionary behavior through various rebate structures aimed at stifling competition.

In an unexpected turn of events in 2022, Intel achieved a victory when the EU’s General Court overturned the original penalty. This latest ruling from the Court of Justice supports that decision. However, this legal saga is not yet concluded, as Intel remains in contention over a separate fine of 376.4 million euros imposed by Brussels the previous year. This particular fine relates to some of Intel’s sales restrictions, which the General Court deemed unlawful in its earlier ruling from 2022.