The press exploded with news that Intel has been fined 1.06 billion Euros by the EU. This new record, I think, is not undeserved. The practises of number one chip company were clearly anti-competitive. It’s strange how big multinationals think they are above all rules. And I certainly did wonder whether AMD or anyone else would do the same if they were in a similar position. But the gist of the story lies in the fact that a capitalist for-profit entity can feel pain and understand a lesson, just like a very mischievous dog would, only if you hit it where it truly hurts. The governments in the EU — or anywhere else on our lonely, beautiful planet, for that matter — may not be perfect, but most of them have set up rules called laws to regulate our social exchanges. Business is one of those exchanges, and, I dare say, not the single most essential one in life. Nevertheless, big money thinks it can go above and below and around the rules any time it wants to. That’s why you have to hit it while you can, and money is exactly where it hurts most. Whether it will learn? Who knows. But knowing that we’ll all die one day doesn’t make living less sweet: so fighting the big rude grabbers must be independent of the eventual result of that fight. (via /.)
