European Court upholds €210 million fine for LG Display

The European Court in Luxembourg has upheld the €210 million fine imposed by the EU on display manufacturer LG Display. The Korean display manufacturer was fined for forming a cartel.

LG Display had appealed the fine imposed by the EU in 2010. According to the European regulator, LG Display along with AU Optronics, Chimei Innolux, Chunghwa Picture Tubes and Hannstar Display should be fined after Samsung reported an ‘LCD cartel’ in 2006. The cartel allegedly entered into price agreements, which impeded competition. In total, the EU imposed cartel fines totaling EUR 649 million.

LG Display’s lawyers argued in the appeal that the regulator had wrongly included deliveries of LCD screens to parent company LG and its former partner Philips when determining the amount of the fine. According to LG Display, these deliveries fell outside the prohibited cartel agreements. The European Court has brushed aside these arguments and states that the amount of the fine is determined by the total turnover. LG Display still has to pay the fine of 210 million euros.