The European Union reportedly is close to filing formal antitrust charges against Intel.

News reports emerged Tuesday that the EU, after five years of investigating the chip giant, may make a decision by the end of the year on whether to charge Intel for allegedly using rebates and other tactics to limit or coerce computer makers from buying chips from Advanced Micro Devices.

Intel, based in Santa Clara, California, should be getting used to defending its business practices against antitrust allegations around the world. Korea has launched an inquiry (see Korea Probes Intel). Last year, Japanese regulators found Intel to have violated its antitrust rules, and Intel didn’t contest the decision (see Intel Behaves in Japan).

Intel has been the reigning PC chip maker for decades, selling processors and related chips for personal computers and servers. It faced antitrust investigations in the United States before, but never formal charges.

The findings by the Japan’s Fair Trade Commission and legal pursuits by AMD seem to have made Intel more vulnerable to antitrust allegations. EU investigators raided Intel’s office earlier this year (see EC Agents Raid Intel Offices).

AMD also has filed an antitrust suit against Intel in Japan and the United States. But the Sunnyvale, California, company received a setback in the United States, where a federal judge narrowed the scope of the lawsuit by tossing out certain claims (see Judge Nixes Claims in AMD Suit).

Contact the writer: UWang@RedHerring.com

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