Cuomo v. Intel
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo today followed the lead of his European counterparts, filing an anti-trust lawsuit against computer chip maker Intel — Advanced Micro Devices’ chief competitor in the field.
Cuomo’s suit alleges that Intel used “illegal threats and collusion” to gain their dominant lead in the fiercely competitive computer chip market, a claim the company immediately denied.
“Rather than compete fairly, Intel used bribery and coercion to maintain a stranglehold on the market,” Cuomo said in a written statement. “Intel’s actions not only unfairly restricted potential competitors, but also hurt average consumers who were robbed of better products and lower prices.”
The suit comes almost two years after Cuomo’s office began investigating anti-trust practices alleged to have occured at Intel. At the time, the Attorney General’s office told The Post Star that their inquiry had nothing to do with AMD’s plans to build a computer chip factory in Saratoga County (lest their be any confusion, AMD has now joined with an Abu Dhabi investment firm to create GlobalFoundries, and move forward with the Malta-based factory).
The action comes almost five months after the European Commission levied a $1.45 billion fine against Intel for anti-trust practices. That decision is now being appealed.
Related: AMD sales better than expected; GlobalFoundries chairman steps down.
– Drew Kerr
