tinyurl.com/aaa4a -> news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050712/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_intel
AP Regulators Raid Various Intel Offices By PAUL AMES, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 42 minutes ago BRUSSELS, Belgium - European regulators raided Intel Corp. offices in Bri tain, Germany, Spain and Italy on Tuesday, two weeks after rival US ch ipmaker Advanced Micro Devices filed lawsuits in Japan and the United St ates claiming Intel violated antitrust rules.
Investigators also visited offices of companies that make or sell compute rs. offices in Britain were among them, said company spokesman Jess Blackburn in Austin, Texas. Microprocessors from Intel, the world's leading chip maker, dominate the global market in desktop computers that run Microsoft's Windows operatin g system, accounting for 90 percent in revenue terms.
European Commission has for more than four years been investigating claims that Intel used un fair business practices to persuade clients to buy its microprocessors t o the exclusion of rivals' chips. In March, the EU said it was continuing its probe after a Japanese invest igation found that Intel had violated antitrust rules there.
European Union head office said officials from the EU's antitrust department and nationa l competition authorities participated in Tuesday's raids. EU regulators regularly conduct unannounced inspections of companies under investigat ion in competition cases. "Investigations are being carried out in the framework of an ongoing comp etition case," the European Commission said. Officials declined to say which offices had been searched, reveal if docu ments had been taken or give further details. Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said EU staff members visited company office s in Swindon, England; The investigators spent several hours in the Dell offices, said Blackburn . He said he didn't know what the investigators were looking for or whet her they removed anything. EU onsite inspections are usually wrapped in a single day although someti mes investigators return for a second day, in which case suspected offic es are sealed overnight. As a rule, the inspectors do not remove origina l documents but often make copies of documents and computer files for fu rther study. Mulloy said that over the past four years Intel has provided European Com mission staff "with tens of thousands of documents and hundreds of hours of meeting and interviews. On June 27, AMD sued Intel for billions of dollars in Delaware federal co urt, claiming that Intel strong-armed 38 computer companies into buying Intel chips. That lawsuit alleges that Intel has engaged in a "relentles s" global campaign to maintain a monopoly over microprocessors. AMD also cited Intel's Japanese unit, accusing Intel of violating Japan's antitr ust laws and to damaging AMD "Today's dawn raids should come as good news to consumers across Europe," said Thomas M McCoy, AMD's chief administrative officer. "Every comput er user has a strong interest in ensuring that the full truth about Inte l's anticompetitive abuses is revealed and corrected." But he does not believe the raids were sparked by AMD's lawsuit. "I don't think they care about anything other than what they think is the right thing to do for the EU ." Intel denies the lawsuit's allegations, saying AMD was making excuses for its secondary market position. "Intel believes that its business practices are both fair and lawful," Ma rlo Thompson, a spokeswoman for the company in Munich, said Tuesday. EU antitrust regulators investigating Intel's business practices had reac hed a preliminary conclusion in 2002 that there was insufficient evidenc e to bring any charges. But in June 2004, they said they would take anot her look after AMD refused to withdraw its complaint. The US Federal Trade Commission closed a three-year investigation into Intel's business practices in September 2000 without taking any action.
Finally, Metro-Scale Wi-Fi is a Reality Camsoft Data Systems, Inc. Enables network operators, service providers and government departments to deploy ubiquitous broadband wireless networks where it was previously not possible.
An unidentified woman passes the sign at the front of the Intel offic es at Swindon south western England Tuesday July 12, 2005. European regu lators raided Intel offices in Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy on Tues day, two weeks after rival US chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices filed l awsuits in Japan and the United States claiming Intel broke antitrust ru les. The European Commission said it was also inspecting offices of comp anies that make or sell computers.
The informati on contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewr itten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associ ated Press.
|
http://csua.com/feed/