Federal Trade Commission Files Suit Against Intel For 'Anticompetitive Tactics'
The FTC's administrative complaint charges that Intel carried out its anticompetitive campaign using threats and rewards aimed at the world's largest computer manufacturers, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM, to coerce them not to buy rival computer CPU chips. Intel also used this practice, known as exclusive or restrictive dealing, to prevent computer makers from marketing any machines with non-Intel computer chips.
In addition, allegedly, Intel secretly redesigned key software, known as a compiler, in a way that deliberately stunted the performance of competitors' CPU chips. Intel told its customers and the public that software performed better on Intel CPUs than on competitors' CPUs, but the company deceived them by failing to disclose that these differences were due largely or entirely to Intel's compiler design.
The news comes as Intel prepares for a preview event tomorrow highlighting forthcoming Arrandale processors. Speculation as centered on Apple's possible use of these chips in the next generation of its notebook computers, although a recent report claimed that Apple has refused to accept Intel's standard Arrandale package incorporating the company's integrated graphics chipset.
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I hope this suite has some teeth in it, and gets the job done. Intel has caused a lot of problems in this industry and it's about time they paid for their illegal ways.
/vjl/
In addition, allegedly, Intel secretly redesigned key software, known as a compiler, in a way that deliberately stunted the performance of competitors' CPU chips. Intel told its customers and the public that software performed better on Intel CPUs than on competitors' CPUs, but the company deceived them by failing to disclose that these differences were due largely or entirely to Intel's compiler design.
Regarding this quote, if Intel's CPUs with Intel's chipsets work better in combination than competitors CPUs with Intel's chipsets, good. Shouldn't this be expected? If Intel has optimized their hardware to work better together, great.
If, with no extra engineering, competitors CPUs don't work as well with Intel chipsets, this is not anticompetitive. This is just a side effect of separate entities creating separate components of an entire system.
If there really is extra, unnecessary engineering put into the compiler to purposely hinder third party CPUs performance, this is anticompetitive. This is what needs to be proven.
This should have happened years ago. As bad as Microsoft is [and IBM before them, if there's any old-timers here], Intel is worse. That's why the 2006 decision to go Intel was so disappointing to me - Intel makes Microsoft's aggressive business tactics look like Barbie.
I hope this suite has some teeth in it, and gets the job done. Intel has caused a lot of problems in this industry and it's about time they paid for their illegal ways.
/vjl/
amd has been suing intel for things like this for a while, so its a surprise to see how long it took
Regarding this quote, if Intel's CPUs with Intel's chipsets work better in combination than competitors CPUs with Intel's chipsets, good. Shouldn't this be expected? If Intel has optimized their hardware to work better together, great.
If, with no extra engineering, competitors CPUs don't work as well with Intel chipsets, this is not anticompetitive. This is just a side effect of separate entities creating separate components of an entire system.
If there really is extra, unnecessary engineering put into the compiler to purposely hinder third party CPUs performance, this is anticompetitive. This is what needs to be proven.
This is the problem, not Intel's competence at making chipsets and hardware:
The FTC's administrative complaint charges that Intel carried out its anticompetitive campaign using threats and rewards aimed at the world's largest computer manufacturers, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM, to coerce them not to buy rival computer CPU chips. Intel also used this practice, known as exclusive or restrictive dealing, to prevent computer makers from marketing any machines with non-Intel computer chips.
In addition, allegedly, Intel secretly redesigned key software, known as a compiler, in a way that deliberately stunted the performance of competitors' CPU chips. Intel told its customers and the public that software performed better on Intel CPUs than on competitors' CPUs, but the company deceived them by failing to disclose that these differences were due largely or entirely to Intel's compiler design.
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