The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission share jurisdiction over antitrust, and by mutual agreement, investigations of Intel’s dominance of the computer chip market are before the FTC. Still, given Antitrust Division chief Christine Varney’s speeches earlier this week heralding a return to vigorous competition enforcement, it’s worth noting this story in the Recorder.
The legal publication says the European Commission and the FTC are coordinating closely on Intel. The commission, the EU’s executive arm, announced a $1.45 billion (EUR $1.06 billion) fine against Intel on Wednesday for using rebates to discourage computer makers from purchasing chips made by rival Advanced Micro Devices.
“We believe the types of conduct that appear to have been found unlawful by the European Commission would also be unlawful under U.S. antitrust laws,” David Beddow, a partner at O’Melveny & Myers’ Washington, D.C., office, told the Recorder. The Recorder also quotes the EU’s competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes, as speaking hopefully about FTC-EU coordination.
Read the story here.
