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EU Slaps Intel With Formal Antitrust Charges

Posted by Zonk on from the they-do-ed-it dept.

castrox writes "Intel is now facing a prolonged legal battle in the European Union for engaging in anti-competitive practices. The courts allege that Intel made at least one arrangement in Germany to ensure that PC manufacturers could only use their products. From the article: 'The investigation in Europe has been going on for a long time. Intel's European offices were raided by EU investigators in 2005. Last year, AMD filed a formal complaint with the Bundeskartellamt, the German Federal Cartel Office, accusing a German and Intel of entering into an agreement under which the German retailer would only sell Intel PCs in exchange for undisclosed payments from Intel. The EC quickly took over that investigation from the Bundeskartellamt.'"

5 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Punishments. by ttnb · · Score: 3, Informative
    The punishments for such infractions are obviously not high enough.

    Yes.. if fact maybe the main problem is a lack of conherence and predictability in antitrust presecution and antitrust judgements. See the paper "The Incoherence of Punishment in Antitrust" by S. W. Waller, Chicago-Kent Law Review, Vol. 78, p. 207, 2003.

    It is more likely they looked at previous (MS) antitrust settlements and decided that an anti-competitive strategy was an attractive move for execs and shareholders alike.

    Yes :-(

  2. Official links by Dekortage · · Score: 3, Informative

    Read 'em yourselves: EU's official statement and Intel's official response.

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  3. Intel says its actions actually benefit consumers by thefickler · · Score: 2, Informative

    Intel's senior counsel has responded to the EC's preliminary finding by saying that the Intel's actions in Europe actually benefit consumers. http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/07/27/in tel-were-not-abusing-our-market-position-in-europe / But then, of course, they would say that.

  4. Re:FYI: "Market Development Funds" by Red+Flayer · · Score: 2, Informative

    and some more unusual things, some of which are legal in Las Vegas.
    Hmm. Just so you're aware, you need to leave the Vegas city limits for some of those things to be legal. Or so I've heard.

    Just a friendly bit of advice from someone who wouldn't want any Slashdotters to end up in the klink in Vegas.
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  5. Re:AMD.. by ShamrawkNRoll88 · · Score: 2, Informative

    See, therein lies the issue. The UPCOMING Barcelona CPU technology. Intel is already producing, and is getting ready to move to a 45nm manufacturing process in the first half of next year. Barcelona hasn't even hit shelves.

    And another issue, how much will a Barcelona processor cost when it is released. In my opinion, Intel is fighting tooth and nail to stay on top in this one, including dropping their prices drastically when they release newer processors. And the older processors that are having their prices dropped are more likely to find their way into lower-end and mid-range pre-built consumer systems.