Looks like Intel has found itself in the crosshairs once again. Though the trial between the chipmaker and rival AMD which was set to begin next spring has now been delayed until 2010, it’s not the only legal proceedings in which the company is embroiled.
The Federal Trade Commission has now launched a formal antitrust investigation into the processor manufacturer. At stake, anticompetitive conduct alleged by rivals such as the very same AMD. The case is being pushed by new commissioner William E. Kovacic, despite the fact that his predecessor had come down against a formal investigation. Intel has also long been involved in a similar dispute on the other side of the Atlantic, where the European Commission has been wagging a finger in their direction for some time. Likewise, New York state has also been looking into potential antitrust violations as well, so really: what better time for the federal government to get onboard?
AMD has long complained that Intel has used its massive weight in the microprocessor industry to maintain a stranglehold, by selling their products below the cost of manufacturing—prices that are impossible for smaller microprocessor manufacturers to compete with.
We’re sure Intel is absolutely thrilled to find themselves in this situation. If we may offer our own time-honed skills for dealing with monopoly issues: we recommend a strategy of purchases in the Marvin Gardens/Ventnor Avenue neighborhoods combined with acquisitions of at least two major railroads.
