WASHINGTON — Intel Corp. said Tuesday (Sept. 26) that the U.S. government has provided notification that it has closed its three-year-old antitrust probe of the company, the world's largest chip maker.
The Federal Trade Commission had been investigating Intel's business practices since September 1997 in response to complaints by Intergraph Corp., Compaq Computer Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. An earlier case was settled in March 1999, but the FTC said it would continue investigating Intel's business practices, including its growing strength in the chip set market.
Intel said it was vindicated by the ending of the investigation. "The closure of the investigation reflects our view that Intel conducts its business in an ethical and lawful manner," Intel chairman Craig Barrett said in a statement. Intel said it was informed in a letter to Barrett from Richard Parker, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition, that the antitrust investigation was being closed.
The FTC also closed its investigation of whether Intel's acquisition of Chips and Technologies Inc. and its equity in Real3D had any anti-competitive effect on the graphic components market or other computer hardware markets, Intel said. The FTC had announced in February 1998 that it would not sue to block those acquisitions, but was keeping its file open to continue to review their possible effects.
