European regulators have spent close to nine years investigating whether Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, illegally hampered competitors in its dealings with computer makers and retailers. And on Wednesday, they finally reached a conclusion, punishing Intel with a record fine of €1.06 billion ($1.45 billion) for abusing its dominant position in the computer chip market.The European Commission accused Intel of offering computer makers better deals if they would agree to sell products that relied solely on Intel’s processors or delay products that used chips made by Intel’s rival, Advanced Micro Devices. In addition, regulators said Intel paid a retailer to keep only Intel chips in stock.
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/14/technology/business-computing/14chip.htmlAlso see:Brussels fines Intel record $1.4bn
Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, has been fined a record €1.06bn ($1.44bn) by Europe’s competition authorities for abusing its dominant market position and using illegal sales practices to encourage computer manufacturers to carry its micro-processor chips.The fine, which follows a decade-long investigation by the European Commission, is the largest single penalty to be imposed on a company for antitrust breaches in Europe.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/404568ba-3fa1-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.htmlE.U. Fines Intel for Antitrust Violations
The world’s biggest semiconductor maker yesterday was fined a record $1.45 billion by European regulators for allegedly using its dominance to edge out rivals, a decision that has cast a spotlight on similar investigations by U.S. antitrust watchdogs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051300590.html
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