Competition Commission of India Fines Intel $30 Million Over India Specific Boxed CPU Warranty Policy
Intel is facing a significant regulatory setback in India after the Competition Commission of India ruled that the company’s India specific warranty policy for boxed desktop processors was discriminatory and harmed consumer choice and parallel import channels.
According to the Competition Commission of India, the policy change took effect on 25 April 2016 and meant Intel would honor warranty requests in India only if the boxed microprocessor had been purchased from an authorized Indian distributor. If a customer bought a boxed desktop CPU from outside India, Intel redirected the warranty request to the country of purchase, even when the product was still within warranty coverage. The regulator concluded this created an unfair disadvantage for Indian consumers who purchased genuine Intel boxed processors abroad and for legitimate parallel importers operating in the market.
In its order dated 12 February 2026, the Commission held Intel to be dominant in the relevant market for boxed microprocessors for desktops in India and found the warranty policy discriminatory when compared with Intel’s approach in other regions. The Commission said this limited consumer choice and caused an appreciable adverse effect on Indian consumers, leading to a finding of contravention under Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002.
The Competition Commission of India imposed a penalty of ₹27.38 crore, stating the policy remained in place for 8 years, while also noting mitigating factors including Intel discontinuing the policy effective 01 April 2024. Alongside the monetary penalty, the Commission directed Intel to widely publicize the withdrawal of the policy and submit a compliance report detailing corrective measures.
The case originated from an information filing by Matrix Info Systems Private Limited and is listed as Case No. 05 of 2019. A copy of the order is available via the Competition Commission of India website at Competition Commission of India.
If you are a PC builder or gamer who sources hardware globally, this ruling is a reminder that regional warranty policies can materially impact total c
ost of ownership, especially in high value components where warranty coverage is a key part of the purchase calculus.
What do you think should be the baseline standard for CPU warranties worldwide, global coverage or region locked support? Share your take in the comments.
