On Wednesday, The European Commission will unveil the amount it will fine the computer chip maker Intel, for what the Commission believes, are serious breaches of antitrust law. It paid computer-manufacturers not to install it the chips of its rival, AMD. There is speculation that an eye-watering sum will be levied on Intel, according to Bloomberg, possibly more than €1 billion.
The US is taking note. Today, the New York Times ran an article on the US Administration’s tightening of Antitrust rules. It states that this policy alligns itself with the antitrust policies of the European Commission. A sign that regulators both sides of the Atlantic do not see easing antitrust enforcement as a way to get out of the economic crisis.
(May 13: Today the European Commission announced it was fining Intel 1.06 billion. One blogs states that the decision has “reverbarated” around the US)