Intel has told a European Union court that a US$1.33 billion fined the EU imposed on Intel for using rebates to block rivals is based on “inconsistent, simplistic and error- ridden analysis”.

The European Commission, the EU’s antitrust regulator, failed to provide the required proof to uphold its 2009 decision and ignored “potentially exculpatory” documents from a competitor, Intel lawyers said.

“Prosecutors cannot pick and choose what evidence to record and which to ignore,” said lawyer Nicholas Green.

The EU had levied its fine after finding that Intel impeded competition by giving rebates to computer makers from 2002 until 2005 on the condition that they buy at least 95 percent of chips for personal computers from Intel.