EU prepares antitrust case against Intel
26370
(InfoWorld) - European Commission antitrust officials investigating computer chip maker Intel presented what they believe is a watertight argument for prosecuting the firm to an internal panel of so-called devil's advocates on Tuesday, a person familiar with the investigation has said. Holding their case up to the scrutiny of the panel may indicate that the officials on the case are confident enough to push ahead with legal action. The panel was recently introduced into the antitrust investigation process in order to prevent poorly prepared cases turning into formal legal proceedings. Intel has been under investigation by the commission for the past five years. With a global market share in the computer chip market of around 80 percent, the company dwarfs its nearest rival, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., which accounts for the bulk of the remaining sales of chips around the world. Neither Intel nor the European Commission were immediately available to comment. Thomas M. McCoy, AMD's executive vice president of legal affairs, said in a recent interview he is confident the European Commission will take action to stop Intel abusing its dominance in the market. "The Intel investigation is coming to a close," he said, adding that he was confident it would result in Neelie Kroes, the competition commissioner, issuing a charge sheet, known as a statement of objections to the company. "I am optimistic she will push ahead with the lawsuit because she is independent from political pressure, both Intel and AMD are big employers in Europe, and because unlike other antitrust cases there are no complicated intellectual property issues at stake in this case," McCoy said. Last year the European Commission launched surprise visits on Intel's offices in Europe, confiscating documents in their hunt for evidence of illegal behavior. Last month the European regulator took over a separate investigation being conducted by German antitrust officials, into claims that Intel was forcing Europe's biggest computer retailer, Media Markt, only to stock computers fitted with Intel chips. Consumer groups have complained to the regulators that computer buyers are getting less choice as a result of Intel's tactics, which include granting rebates in return for loyalty from PC manufacturers. AMD's McCoy said Intel uses the threat of price increases to persuade PC makers like Sony Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. not to build PCs around AMD's chips. "Sony used to have a model running on AMD chips at any given price range but then they went 100 percent Intel. Ultimately the consumer loses through reduced choice," he said. The devil's advocate panel includes the competition department's chief economist, Damien Neven, along with colleagues in the department who aren't involved in the Intel case. If the draft case against Intel is supported by the panel, the investigating team will propose that Kroes issue a statement of objections to the company for the first time in the five years it has spent investigating Intel.
498657
The European Commission said on Wednesday that France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland had unfairly favored Intel in public contracts for computer equipment.
730405
France, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden are violating European Union law by favoring chips made by Intel over rival AMD when they buy computers, the European Commission said in formal charges filed on Wednesday.
53053
European Commission investigators have raided the offices of Intel Germany in Munich as part of a wide-ranging probe into alleged antitrust violations by the world's largest chipmaker. A European Union spokesperson said the raid is ongoing but refused to divulge the reasons.
20648
BRUSSELS -- The European Commission has asked four European Union (E.U.) countries to justify why they favor Intel Corp. processors in computers for public authorities, it announced Wednesday.
71188
International Business Machines  Corp. has requested documents from Intel Corp., the world's  largest chip maker, as it prepares its defense in a  billion-dollar dispute with SCO Group Inc. over the Linux  operating system.
467712
New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has launched an antitrust investigation of Intel, and on Thursday, his office served a wide-ranging subpoena on the company.
508707
A European Union court will rule Sept. 17 on Microsoft's challenge to an order that that imposed hundreds of millions of dollars of fines on the world's biggest software company for what the regulators said was anti-competitive activity, the court said Tuesday.
740676
The European Commission has turned up the volume in its investigation of Intel's conduct, with retailers in Germany and Great Britain now confirming they've been raided -- the same retailers mentioned in AMD's civil suit against Intel.
189744
The European Commission confirmed Monday it has received a written response to the&#160;formal antitrust charges&#160;it filed against computer chip maker Intel, after some delays.&quot;We have received the company&#39;s response and are examining it carefully,&quot; said a person close to the competition department.In July the Commission accused the world&#39;s biggest maker of computer chips of handing out &quot;substantial rebates&quot; to computer manufacturers in return for buying the bulk of their x86 chips from Intel.It also accused the company of paying computer makers for scrapping or delaying the launch of machines fitted with AMD chips, and of selling its chips for server computers at below cost to large customers such as governments and universities.Such practices are illegal under European antitrust law when applied by companies that dominate their market, as Intel does.In addition to the written response filed Monday, Intel has also asked the Commission for the opportunity to respond to the charges face-to-face in an oral hearing, said Chuck Mulloy, a company spokesman in Santa Clara, California. The Commission will decide the date&#39;s oral hearing.&quot;It will be a while before the hearing. The Commission staff will have to read our substantial response,&quot; Mulloy said.Intel asked twice for extra time to prepare the written response. The initial deadline was in October. That was shifted to Jan. 4. Then, as the new deadline loomed, Intel asked for the weekend to complete the document.&quot;There were some loose ends that needed to be addressed. It was nothing unusual,&quot; Mulloy said.
549752
A recent raid on Intel's Munich office by EC investigators is the latest in a long history of antitrust woes.
503106
The European Commission on Wednesday expanded its investigation to determine whether public institutions in Europe gave an unfair advantage to Intel Corp.
638090
Intel, the world's biggest chip maker, has been raided by EU competition regulators, Reuters reports.
388244
An EU court is to issue its initial verdict this morning in a high-profile competition case pitting US software giant Microsoft against the EU Commission.
464377
(InfoWorld) - The European Commission has expanded anÂ ongoing antitrust probeÂ of computer chip maker Intel to examine claims that the company has been pressuring the Continent's largest computer retail chain not to sell computers containing chips made by archrival Advanced Micro DevicesÂ (AMD), Commission spokesman Jonathan Todd confirmed Monday. "The Commission is concerned that Intel has been putting pressure on Media Markt not to stock computers that include AMD chips as opposed to Intel chips," Todd said. Media Markt is a German chain of over 360 stores spread across 11 countries in the European Union. In July AMD complained to Germanyâs antitrust office, the Bundeskartellampt, that it didnât have access to this vital sales outlet. The Commission decided to examine the claim because of the cross-border nature of the alleged antitrust abuse involving Media Markt and because, if true, Intel's links with the retailer would strengthen its ongoing antitrust case, which began in 2001.
565928
Intel should have to share documents that could show it used monopolistic practices to force overseas PC vendors and retailers to shun Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) chips, the special master to a U.S. federal court recommended Friday.
257030
Chip maker Intel is being investigated by the New York Attorney General following anti-trust concerns.