Intel pays peanuts to settle NY antitrust suit

Intel has agreed to fork over a mere $6.5m to settle an antitrust lawsuit by New York's attorney general. Although $6.5m is no mean sum to the average joe, it's a pittance to Intel, whose net income last year was a cool $12.94bn. The case, first brought by Andrew Cuomo back in 2009, alleged that Intel had threatened PC makers …

[unitron]

Sort of agree...

If Intel was in fact guilty of that behaviour, then it wasn't Cuomo who should have been going after him, it was Holder.

[Chris 228]

In America he who has the gold makes the rules

Criminal corporations in the U.S. have proven time and again that they can buy all the justice they desire.

[ChrisInAStrangeLand]

Guilty until proven Marxist, eh Chris228?

[Buzzby]

Avantage Intel

John Brunner said it all in the Shockwave Rider. The US government gave large corporations imminity from being sued no matter what they did, ( maximum national advantage he called it ), they could steal anything.

[Chris 228]

No problem with evidence - there was plenty

Intel has been convicted on three continents for their habitual violation of anti-trust laws - for profit. Until they get fined $300 Billion, (that's with a "B"), they will continue to violate law for HUGE financial profit.

[An ominous cow heard]

The SEC vs Dell case made it perfectly clear what was going on (Intel to Dell: "if you start using AMD you lose our 'joint marketing' millions"), and the biggest disappointment (although not biggest surprise) is that it's Dell not Intel that came off worst. It should have been Intel that got done for abuse of monopoly (aka blackmail) *as well as* Dell getting done for fraudulent accounting.

[Fred Mbogo]

This a very very bad ruling

I concur with Chris228. There have to be consequences for illegal acts and its needs to be more expensive to try to fight a judgement for a large company than to continue committing illegal acts.

How different would the IT world be if AMD had managed to secure a better share of the business in the 2004-2008 era when Intel's designs were mediocre.

I'm not saying AMD is not at fault for their leaving the main desktop to Intel but Intel's underhanded practices certainly helped saw the floor around them.

Teddy Roosevelt would have had a field day with this. We need more people with these types of convictions.

[Chris 228]

It's a crime

For Intel to get off Scot Free is the real crime IMO. Intel has been convicted by the EU and fined $1.45 Billion and here they don't even get fined lunch money. Intel has also been convicted of U.S. tax fraud and has proven to be an unscrupulous company costing consumers dearly. Crime pays very well for Intel.

[Kilgaard]

Did they admit to wrongdoing?

Or is this another pay bribe to avoid record of wrongdoing "settlement"?

How come that never works with me when the local officer pulls me over?

[Chris 228]

It's a disgrace and it sends a very clear message

Crime pays.