Corning, the maker of Gorilla Glass, has submitted promises to settle an antitrust inquiry begun by the European Union.
The company co-formed the plans in a statement on Monday.
Samsung, Sony, Google, HP, Dell, and Nokia are among the customers of the United States-based corporation, which provides Gorilla Glass, a break-resistant glass used as a cover for mobile phones, tablets, and smartwatches. Apple is supposedly a customer as well.
The EU competition regulator stated that Corning has now proposed to waive all exclusive dealing restrictions in its agreements and would not require mobile phone manufacturers to purchase Alkali-AS Glass from Corning, nor will it grant them any pricing advantages based on such requirements.
The European Commission opened an antitrust inquiry earlier this month into Corning’s exclusive supply agreements, which may restrict other glass producers from broad areas of the market.
Corning also intends to remove some minimum product purchases from its contracts and prosecute patent claims solely on the basis of patent infringement, not breach of contract.
“Corning has and will continue to be committed to compliance with all applicable rules and regulations where it does business,” the company said in a response.
“As part of that commitment, we work with local regulatory authorities to ensure open discussion and cooperation.”
Corning says it will not utilise contractual penalties to strengthen patent claims.
The Commission stated that third parties have six weeks to respond to the offer before choosing whether to accept the concessions and any findings of antitrust violations.
Corning’s offer would last nine years if accepted. Antitrust infractions can cost corporations up to 10% of their global annual revenue.
We earlier reported that AT&T announced that it has reached a $1 billion multi-year agreement with Corning to purchase fibre, cable, and connection solutions, as the US telecom giant seeks to extend its high-speed internet offerings.
