A History Of Intel And AMD's Legal Battles

The Associated Press

Intel Corp. says it will pay $1.25 billion to Advanced Micro Devices Inc. in a settlement announced Thursday. The following is a look at the legal battles between Intel and AMD, which supply essentially all of the microprocessors for today's personal computers:

— 1976: The companies sign their first cross-licensing agreement.

— 1982: Intel wins a contract to supply IBM Corp. with microprocessors for its line of personal computers, and renews the cross-licensing deal with AMD to serve as an alternative supplier to IBM.

— 1987: AMD accuses Intel of breaking the contract and files legal papers to begin arbitration. Years of legal disputes follow.

— 1990: Intel files a copyright infringement lawsuit against AMD over technology in one of its chips.

— 1991: AMD files antitrust lawsuit against Intel. Intel files separate copyright infringement lawsuit against AMD over another one of its chips.

— 1992: AMD files "tortious interference" lawsuit against Intel over licensing practices.