Intel stands up for its rights in chip battle

Intel’s response to European Commission allegations of anti-competitive conduct this week (7 January) provoked claims that the company was employing delaying tactics to render any judgement irrelevant.

The chipmaker’s rebuttal, several hundred pages long, was filed on Monday (7 January) and accompanied by a request for a hearing. "I think the tactic is to delay the process as long as possible, to make it more drawn out. Maybe it will make the judgement irrelevant in time," said an industry insider.

Intel spokesman Chuck Malloy said: "We will work through the process. We replied as is our right, we asked for an oral hearing and we availed ourselves of our rights."

The insider said that in an "unforgiving market" requiring billion-euro investments in staff and facilities, any delays could leave AMD, Intel’s rival, "weakened". "It would never have the chance to catch up again," he said.

Malloy said that Intel believed the micro-processor market "behaves as any competive market behaves, primarily to the benefit of consumers".

AMD recently received a non-confidential version of the Commission’s statement of objections. The requested hearing is widely expected to take place after Easter, although Malloy said that trying to predict the timing would be "like reading tea leaves".

Intel’s response to European Commission allegations of anti-competitive conduct this week (7 January) provoked claims that the company was employing delaying tactics to render any judgement irrelevant.