Corning produces various types of hard glass, the most famous of which is Gorilla Glass, and it may be this product that brought the company to the attention of the European Commission.

The Commission is concerned that Corning is abusing its dominant position as a supplier of glass for smartphones, tablets and smartwatches to reduce competition in this area.

The Commission is particularly interested in three things. The first requires smartphone manufacturers to buy all or nearly all of their glass from Corning. If they do this, Corning will offer them a discount. And finally, the producers are expected to tell Corning if a competitor offers a better offer and give Corning the opportunity to match that offer.

Additionally, the Commission alleges that Corning also entered into anti-competitive agreements with “finishers”; These are companies that process raw glass and turn it into sheets used to protect mobile screens.

The commission’s announcement states the following:

“The Commission is concerned that the agreements Corning has put in place with OEMs and finishers may have excluded competing glass manufacturers from large segments of the market, thereby reducing customer choice, increasing prices, and stifling innovation to the detriment of consumers worldwide.”

The Commission will now launch an in-depth investigation to find out whether Corning violated EU competition rules. He writes that “the initiation of a formal investigation does not prejudge its outcome,” meaning there is no guarantee that Corning was actually at fault.

Margrethe Vestager, Vice President for competition policy, said:

“Breaking a mobile phone screen is a very frustrating and costly experience. Therefore, strong competition in the production of coating glass used to protect such devices is crucial to ensuring low prices and high quality glass. “We are investigating whether Corning, a major producer of this specialty glass, is depriving consumers of cheaper, more break-resistant glass by trying to exclude competing glass manufacturers.”

Source