Intel hit with record $1.45 Billion antitrust fine

[Chalenge]

I dont think so I think this is just a way for the EU to get a larger piece of Intels profits. Fining someone a billion dollars is utterly ridiculous.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

I dont think so I think this is just a way for the EU to get a larger piece of Intels profits. Fining someone a billion dollars is utterly ridiculous.

Umm.. so you think fining them 29.99 with free shipping would make them change their illegal pricing? 

[Vulcan]

I dont think so I think this is just a way for the EU to get a larger piece of Intels profits. Fining someone a billion dollars is utterly ridiculous.

How old are you? Seriously - because if you'd been exposed to the cpu market for a period of time you'd know that there's more to this than you realize. I've been in IT for 23 or so years now, Intel have a history of raping us over processors unless absolutely forced too by competition. Do you remember the P4? RAMBUS? The relabeled P3's? The 8088 vs 8086, the SX's?

[Kev367th]

Since when is a conditional price illegal?

My local store has a price club. I can buy 1 pack of cookies, or buy 2 and the second is free. But that does NOT mean the first one is half off. It's conditioned on the purchase of 2 packs.

Not a correct comparison. You are not limited to buying that brand of cookies only.

Rebates are not illegal, the conditions on them were.

Part of the press release states -
AMD offered one company one million (with an m) FREE CPU's. Obviously they get revenue back from builds etc. But the company were only able to accept 160,000 AMD CPU's or they would lose their rebate with Intel.

@Infidelz - I guess it will be OK then when Intel are fined by their own government (maybe 2010) for exactly the same practises?

a) Japan - Finds them guilty, no fine but a very clear "change you business practises" message to them.
b) Korea - Finds them guilty, fines them 26m dollars.
c) EU - Finds them guilty, fines them 1b euros.
d) US - ?????????????
e) Possibly Australia

Everyone else is wrong, Intel is right?

[Skuzzy]

No one here, or anywhere for that matter, will ever know the entire truth behind all this.  Intel claims they have refuting documentation which they were not allowed to enter as evidence.  No one has any idea if this is actually true.

It could all be a matter of politics.  It could all stem from a hatred of America.  It could be the phase of the moon.  It could all be based on greed, on all sides.

I do know one thing.  It seems to have further polarized people in the AMD and Intel camps.

With that said, I caution everyone participating in this thread to leave any emotional baggage at the door.  Afterall, no one here actually knows the truth, and no one ever will.  If you think you really know what is going on, then you are just a willing participant in this well scripted drama.

[TequilaChaser]

No one here, or anywhere for that matter, will ever know the entire truth behind all this.  Intel claims they have refuting documentation which they were not allowed to enter as evidence.  No one has any idea if this is actually true.

It could all be a matter of politics.  It could all stem from a hatred of America.  It could be the phase of the moon.  It could all be based on greed, on all sides.

I do know one thing.  It seems to have further polarized people in the AMD and Intel camps.

With that said, I caution everyone participating in this thread to leave any emotional baggage at the door.  Afterall, no one here actually knows the truth, and no one ever will.  If you think you really know what is going on, then you are just a willing participant in this well scripted drama.

Skuzzy must have had the "Good Coffee this morning    .South Pacific blend or Dark Roast? lol......

as for Intel and being fined in the US, well they just gonna cop a deal with the US Government, like MS did........

The movie industry is not just making up these movies:
enemy of the State
Conspiracy Theory ( not the Mel Gibson movie---this is the original 1st script of Eagle eye )
Eagle Eye


Echolon is real 
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/39455/128/

 


back on topic: here is another link to a report of Intel being fined/accused  that tells a little more........
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/42431/119/

[Skuzzy]

Nah, I just know this crowd well enough to know it will become a link war and nothing more.

At the end of the day, no one will still know the truth.

None of this is new.  My Grandfather started his auto parts business in 1954, and within days was offered deals only if he would carry that line.  It was all over the map.  At the end of the day, he chose the companies which offered the most marketing and advertising dollars.  It served to make his business very successful.

Deals like that went on thoughout the history of his company.  It finally ended when Dad retired and closed the business a few years ago.

Why is it ok for the business owners to support these tactics, but not ok for the businesses to instigate these practices?  It's a rhetorical question.  Again, no one will ever really know what happened here and you are just fooling yourself if you think you do. 

Go ahead with your link war.  Just leave the personal stuff at the door.

[TequilaChaser]

ahhh shucks Skuzzy I was just funnin around.........is all a joke to me, others can play war if they like.........isnt for me though 

[Chalenge]

True Skuzzy. I am a heavy investor in Intel and I am probably overfed with propaganda but I also add to that the anti-American sentiment I see everyday from the EU and... well I already said what I think and I will only add that hating large profitable corporations is nothing new.

[BaldEagl]

Jeez, I hate to break the news but exclusive distribution arrangements exist throughout the business world.  I'm curious what makes this one so special.

According to the Robinson Patman act you can't offer a price (or deal) to one customer that you don't offer to all customers in a similar class, although that's a U.S. law and, I would think, extending the same offer to all customers would put you in compliance.  Even offering several similar deals would be ok as long as they were all offered to all customers.  That doesn't even contemplate the class of trade issue which can be a grey area.  Regardless, there's a lot of rule bending going on out there in the real world.

Also, I don't think that the U.S. predetory pricing laws (or minimum mark-up laws as they are sometimes referred to) apply outside of the retail environment but I could be wrong.

Anyway, I've sat through enough back-room deals in my career that I'm not at all surprised.  In fact I have to sort of tip my hat to Intel for negotiating these deals.  I wish I'd been a fly on the wall.  I am however, surprised at the severity of the fine.

[Vulcan]

Echolon is real 
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/39455/128/

Thats not echelon, we have two well documented echelon sites in NZ, probably the worst kept secrets ever.

[Kev367th]

Skuzzys right.

Certain sites forums have gone hysterical over this.

For the moment pending appeals Intel is guilty, in the E.U., Korea, and Japan.

A few points of discussion though -
a) Is it right to punish current Intel for practises carried out by a previous 'board'?
b) If not how do you prevent any company from breaking laws in the future if you don't catch them until years later?
c) Does this open the doors to AMD for compensation lawsuits?
d) Should the companies involved be fined also for being complicit (Dell, HP, etc), or did they have 'no choice'?

 

[bustr]

Is the Billion dollar fine possibly because the EU case against Microsoft taught the EU beurocrats that the best way to deal with a successful U.S. technology giant, if they want a chance to get anything, is to kick them in their successful BIG nads with the biggest boot in the arsenal? Intel and Microsoft both need to play in the EU. Microsoft got sued by the EU for not being open source. A Billion dollars is not the same as punishing Intel by requiring them to hand over proprietairy technology to a EU company for a level playing feild. Sounds like someone else and Fiat. 

Maybe AMD gave the EU beurocrats a good whoopiee deal under the table to slow Intel down for them. From some perspectives, going after Intel is finishing the job started with Microsoft over monopolies. I was always told when Micrsoft uses the jon, Intel brings the TP.   

[straffo]

I find rather funny to see how some hurry waving their flag with such chauvinism.

Intel didn't follow the rules and so is punished<period>.

You can't just take the money and forget the rules.Had Intel made some drug traffic will you have the same attitude ?

True Skuzzy. I am a heavy investor in Intel and I am probably overfed with propaganda but I also add to that the anti-American sentiment I see everyday from the EU and... well I already said what I think and I will only add that hating large profitable corporations is nothing new.

That's pure nonsense like thinking I'm burning an US flag each morning.

Btw if you've invested only in Intel it's perhaps time to diversify your portfolio ,but no hurry as currently the fine as no impact on the market.

[Chalenge]

I dont think so straffo. The EU is not an exception when it comes to wanting their share of trade agreements and Intel is making money hand over fist its only natural for the 'protection racquet' to come around for more 'insurance money.' The process we see unfolding here is how the cockroaches do business in the light as it were. Intels customers could have just said no and gone with both processor types but the profit margin speaks louder than product diversity and there is nothing wrong with that. So now you can see I think this is nothing like real restraint of trade or 'antitrust' but obviously someone in the EU feels the pricing structure reached the level of 'predatory pricing' which is the same thing as outsiders telling business how much they can charge and how much they can make and I never like that.