Intel Faces European Antitrust Charges

AMD filed a complaint with the European Commission in 2000. The company also has filed a civil antitrust suit against Intel in Delaware federal court. That case is currently in discovery stage, with the trial set to begin in April 2009.

In March 2005, Japan's Fair Trade Commission concluded that Intel had violated Japan's anti-monopoly act. Intel did not admit wrongdoing in the case, but accepted the agency's remedy, which involved ceasing certain business practices. South Korean authorities are also investigating Intel's practices.

The commission's statement of objections is a formal step in European antitrust investigations in which parties are informed of the complaints against them. If the issues in the statement of objections are ultimately confirmed by the commission, Intel could face fines and forced to cease certain practices.

Intel has 10 weeks to respond in writing to the statement of objections and will then have the right to argue its case in an oral hearing.

Despite the apparent setback for Intel, the company's shares were off just 13 to $23.87; shares of AMD were down 69 cents, or 4.7%, to $14.04.

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints