Settlement sensation
Intel has resolved an antitrust lawsuit filed by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which accused it of ‘illegally stifling competition'.
The FTC had accused the US chipmaker of "a systematic campaign to shut out rivals' competing microchips by cutting off their access to the marketplace," according to the BBC.
It is not believed any money was involved in the settlement.
Intel, which makes 80 percent of the chips in personal computers across the globe, had been accused of putting pressure on computer markers to avoid its competitors' chips, which the FTC said could be detrimental to consumers.
Intel had also allegedly sabotaged its competitors' efforts to make their chips compatible with its own, which the FTC said was as an attempt to ‘hamstring' rivals.
The FTC reportedly said: "Intel has agreed to provisions that will open the door to renewed competition and prevent Intel from suppressing competition in the future."
The settlement stops Intel from "using threats, bundled prices, or other offers to exclude or hamper competition or otherwise unreasonably inhibit the sale of competitive CPUs or GPUs [and] from deceiving computer manufacturers about the performance of non-Intel CPUs or GPUs".
Intel reportedly branded the case ‘misguided' when it was opened in December 2009. The company also faces a lawsuit launched by New York attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, who has accused Intel of threatening companies to control chip sales. It is also busy disputing a $1.45bn antitrust fine in Europe.
