Case C‑697/19 P

Sony Corporation
and
Sony Electronics Inc

v

European Commission

Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 16 June 2022

(Appeal – Competition – Agreements, decisions and concerted practices – Optical disk drives – Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area of 2 May 1992 – Single and continuous infringement – Definition – Collusive agreements relating to procurement events concerning optical disk drives for notebook and desktop computers organised by two computer manufacturers)

1. Agreements, decisions and concerted practices – Prohibition – Infringements – Agreements and concerted practices constituting a single infringement – Attribution of liability for the entire infringement to a single undertaking – Conditions – Unlawful practices and conduct forming part of an overall plan

   (Art 101(1) TFEU)

   (see paragraphs 62-64)

2. Competition – Administrative procedure – Statement of objections – Necessary content

   (Art. 101 TFEU; Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, Art 27(1))

   (see paragraphs 67-79)

3. Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Decision to apply competition rules

   (Art 101(1) and 96 TFEU)

   (see paragraphs 82-88)

4. Agreements, decisions and concerted practices – Prohibition – Infringements – Commission decision finding an infringement and imposing a fine – Judicial review – Unlimited jurisdiction – Review of legality – Scope and limits

   (Art. 101, 261 and 263 TFEU; Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, Art. 31)

   (see paragraph 95)

5. Competition – Administrative procedure – Commission decision finding an infringement – Burden of proving the infringement and its duration on the Commission – Extent of the burden of proof – Single and continuous infringement – Lack of evidence relating to certain specific periods of the overall period considered – Irrelevant

   (Art 101 TFEU)

   (see paragraphs 112-123)

6. Appeal – Jurisdiction of the Court – Whether it may review, on grounds of fairness, the assessment by the General Court in regard to the amount of the fines imposed on undertakings which have infringed the competition rules of the Treaty – Precluded – Challenge to that assessment on grounds alleging breach of the principle of proportionality – Whether permissible – No infringement of the principle of proportionality

   (Art 256 and 261 TFEU)

   (see paragraphs 161, 162)

7. Competition – Fines – Amount – Determination – Discretion of the Commission – Judicial review – Unlimited jurisdiction of the EU judicature – Scope – Determination of the amount of the fine imposed – Criteria for assessment – Gravity and duration of the infringement – Respect for the principles of stating reasons, proportionality, that penalties must be specific to the offender and of equal treatment

   (Art. 101(1) and 261 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 61, first para.; Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, Arts 23(3) and 31)

   (see paragraphs 176-180)

See the text of the decision.