Intel off the hook
2000-09-26 18:44
Washington –
The US Federal Trade Commission has concluded its investigation of the Intel Corp for anticompetitive practices and decided no action is
warranted against the firm, the company announced Tuesday.
"We're gratified by this result," said Chuck Mulloy, a spokesman for the company, in a telephone interview. "It reflects our view that Intel conducts business in an ethical and lawful fashion."
The FTC had announced its continuing investigation of Intel after settling other charges against the firm in March, 1999.
The earlier charges involved allegations about the use of Intel's intellectual property by three customers - Intergraph Corp, Compaq Computer Corp and Digital Equipment Corp, which later sold out to Compaq.
The settlement dealt with allegations Intel extracted either high prices or unfair access to trade secrets of the
three companies, under threat it would withhold crucial information about Intel chips the firms needed to do business.