Press Release: Antitrust: Commission renders legally binding commitments from Rio Tinto Alcan

The European Commission has adopted a decision that renders legally binding the commitments offered by Rio Tinto Alcan to address concerns raised by the Commission about competition on markets for aluminium smelting equipment.

The Commission was concerned that the company may have infringed EU antitrust rules by contractually tying the licensing of its leading Aluminium Pechiney (AP) smelting technology to the purchase of handling equipment (namely, pot tending assemblies or PTAs) from its subsidiary Electrification Charpente Levage (ECL). PTAs are specialty cranes used in aluminium reduction plants (smelters) where primary aluminium is produced. Rio Tinto Alcan committed to modify its future technology transfer agreements so as to enable licensees of its AP technology to purchase PTAs from any recommended supplier.