Intel Faces New Antitrust Charges in Europe: Report

(Reuters) – European regulators are preparing to file new antitrust charges against Intel Corp (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz),expanding a probe into the chipmaker’s marketing and sales practices,The Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The new charges, which could be brought as soon as Thursday, wouldallege that the world’s top chipmaker gave major European retailersinducements not to sell computers that use chips from smaller rivalAdvanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the people told the paper.

Last year, the European Commission in Brussels charged Intel withselling chips below cost and offering customers huge rebates in anillegal attempt to drive AMD out of the market.

AMD has long accused Intel of abusing its dominance of the $280billion chip market and filed its own lawsuit against Intel in 2005.Intel’s microprocessors — the electronic brains of personal computers– power over 80 percent of the world’s PCs.

The potential new charges from European regulators would be anotherblow to Intel, which last month said it faces a formal investigation bythe U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

"We are continuing to cooperate and really don’t know what thecommission will do," Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy told the Journal,when asked about the possibility of new charges. "We believe we operatewithin the law."

A spokesman for EU Antitrust Commissioner Neelie Kroes told the paper the Intel probe is "ongoing".

Intel and European antitrust regulation officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

The company also faces similar investigations elsewhere.

The New York state attorney general opened a formal probe of Intelin January to determine if it broke state antitrust laws by trying tosqueeze out AMD.

In June, the Korea Fair Trade Commission in Seoul ruled Intel hadabused its dominant position in the local market and imposed a fine of$25.6 million. Intel said it would almost certainly appeal.

Japan’s trade commission also concluded in 2005 that Intel hadviolated that country’s anti-monopoly act. Intel said it disagreed withthe findings, but accepted the commission’s recommendation, a move thatallowed it to avoid a trial.

(Reporting by Pratish Narayanan in Bangalore; Editing by Jennifer Tan)