Corning’s Gorilla Glass under EU antitrust investigation

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Corning to find whether it has breached antitrust rules with its ascendant Gorilla Glass product. Corning’s Alkali-aluminosilicate solid is utilized to support astir of the apical phones and tablets, with some Samsung and Apple utilizing it extensively crossed their scope of devices. The EU is acrophobic that Corning has utilized a assortment of exclusivity contracts to exclude rival solid makers from the telephone market.

“It is precise frustrating and costly acquisition to interruption a mobile telephone screen. Therefore, beardown contention successful the accumulation of the screen solid utilized to support specified devices is important to guarantee debased prices and high-quality glass,” says outgoing EU contention main Margrethe Vestager. “We are investigating if Corning, a large shaper of this peculiar glass, whitethorn person tried to exclude rival solid producers, thereby depriving consumers from cheaper and much break-resistant glass.”

The Commission’s concerns are centered connected the agreements with mobile instrumentality makers and companies that nutrient earthy glass. The EU is looking into exclusive sourcing obligations that person required instrumentality makers to root “all of astir all” of their solid from Corning, enabled rebates for exclusivity deals, and forced instrumentality makers to study connected competitory offers and lone judge them if Corning failed to terms match.

If Corning is recovered blameworthy of breaching EU contention rules past it could look a fine, but the solid shaper volition besides person the accidental to code the Commission’s concerns with a acceptable of commitments that tin bring the antitrust probe to an end.

Corning’s Gorilla Glass offers further harm absorption for telephone and tablet displays against scratches, bumps, and drops. It was erstwhile a large selling constituent for Apple’s iPhone devices, earlier Corning’s Alkali-aluminosilicate solid became a ascendant diagnostic successful modern smartphones.