Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 12 September 2007 - Prym and Prym Consumer v Commission
(Competition - Cartels - European haberdashery market (needles) - Product market sharing - Geographic market sharing - Fine - Guidelines on the method of setting fines - Duty to state reasons - Gravity and duration of the infringement - Leniency notice)
Language of the case: German
Parties
Applicants: William Prym GmbH & Co. KG (Stolberg, Germany) and Prym Consumer GmbH & Co. KG (Stolberg) (represented by: H. Meyer-Lindemann, lawyer)
Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: F. Castillo de la Torre and K. Mojzesowicz, acting as Agents)
Re:
Application, principally, for annulment of Commission Decision C (2004) 4221 final of 26 October 2004 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] (Case COMP/F-1/38.338 - PO/Needles) in so far as it relates to the applicants, and, in the alternative, for annulment or reduction of the fine imposed on the applicants.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Sets the amount of the fine imposed on William Prym GmbH & Co. KG and Prym Consumer GmbH & Co. KG under Article 2 of Commission Decision C (2004) 4221 final of 26 October 2004 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] (Case COMP/F-1/38.338 - PO/Needles) at EUR 27 million;
Dismisses the remainder of the application;
Orders William Prym and Prym Consumer to bear 90% of their own costs and to pay 90% of the costs incurred by the Commission, and the Commission to bear 10% of its own costs and to pay 10% of the costs incurred by William Prym and Prym Consumer.
____________1 - OJ C 106 of 30.4.2005.