BRUSSELS — The highest court in the European Union ruled on Wednesday that Intel’s $1.3 billion antitrust fine get a second look, a decision that could ease some of the legal pressure that American tech giants face in the region.

The order, which will send the Intel case back to a lower court for review, is a blow to a sweeping regulatory crackdown in Europe that has ensnared American household names like Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook. It could also embolden these technology companies, which have long complained that officials in Europe target them unfairly, to challenge the rulings and investigations against them.

The move by the Court of Justice of the European Union raises the prospect that the 1.06 billion euro fine on Intel in 2009, equivalent to $1.26 billion at current exchange rates, could be reduced or scrapped entirely. The penalty — at the time the largest of its kind — was upheld by a lower court in 2014 and is likely to be the subject of legal battles for years.

The case, and its outcome, plays to the legal headaches for Silicon Valley in Europe. The European Union’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, has made technology companies a central focus, with investigations into tax avoidance, data privacy and abuse of market position.