Intel and FTC in Antitrust Settlement Talks
Intel and the Federal Trade Commission may end up settling their differences out of court. In a statement issued late Monday, the chip maker said the two parties have filed a joint motion to suspend administrative trial proceedings while they negotiate a settlement of the FTC’s suit, which accused Intel of a “deliberate campaign to hamstring competitive threats to its monopoly.”
And so, between now and July 22, the case will be on hold, as Intel (INTC) and the FTC review and discuss a proposed consent order, the terms of which are currently confidential.
An interesting change of tack for Intel, which has vehemently denied FTC allegations that it used threats and rebate schemes to encourage exclusive deals and unfairly manipulate the chip market. If the company manages to reach an agreement with the agency, it will avoid the September trial toward which it seemed inevitably to be heading.