英特爾12.5億美元了結(jié)AMD反壟斷訴訟

Intel sought to quell a rising tide of complaints over its business practices as it agreed yesterday to pay $1.25bn to settle a private antitrust lawsuit from rival chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices.

英特爾(Intel)試圖平息對其商業(yè)行為日漸增多的指控。該公司昨日同意支付12.5億美元，了結(jié)競爭對手AMD公司(Advanced Micro Devices)提起的反壟斷訴訟。

The settlement of the dispute between the two chip companies ends one of the longest- running and most heated disagreements in US business.

這兩家芯片公司解決彼此糾紛，結(jié)束了美國商界歷時最長且最為激烈的爭端之一。

AMD, which is virtually Intel's only rival in making the microprocessors used in PCs and many low-cost servers, has long complained that its much bigger rival uses unfair methods to prevent computer makers buying its chips.

AMD幾乎是英特爾在個人電腦及許多低成本服務(wù)器所用的微處理器領(lǐng)域唯一的競爭對手。長期以來，該公司一直指控規(guī)模大得多的英特爾利用不公平手段，阻止電腦制造商購買它的芯片。

Those complaints, which Intel denies, have already led to regulatory action against the company in Japan, South Korea and the European Union, and last week brought a lawsuit from Andrew Cuomo, New York attorney-general. The new Federal Trade Commission, which has promised a more aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement than its predecessor, has also begun an investigation of its own.

英特爾一直否認這些指控，但這些指控已經(jīng)導致日本、韓國及歐盟(EU)采取了針對該公司的監(jiān)管行動，上周美國紐約州司法部長安德魯•庫默(Andrew Cuomo)也對其提起公訴。新的美國聯(lián)邦貿(mào)易委員會(Federal Trade Commission)也展開了自己的調(diào)查，該委員會承諾將比前任進行更為凌厲的反壟斷執(zhí)法。

Legal experts warned that the settlement would do little to stop spreading regulatory action against Intel, the world's biggest maker of microprocessors. Europe this year imposed a record €1.06bn ($1.57bn) fine on the company.

法律專家警告稱，上述和解協(xié)議對于阻止日益擴大的針對全球最大微處理器制造商的監(jiān)管行動作用不大。歐洲今年對英特爾處以創(chuàng)紀錄的10.6億歐元（合15.7億美元）罰款。

Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic signalled that, while they would look at the AMD settlement, the agreement would not change their own scrutiny of Intel's behaviour.

歐美監(jiān)管者均發(fā)出信號稱，盡管他們會考慮AMD的和解協(xié)議，但該協(xié)議不會改變他們自己對英特爾行為的嚴密審查。

As part of the settlement, Intel said that it had undertaken not to engage in some of the practices it has been accused of by AMD and regulators. These include promising discounts to PC makers only if they refuse to buy chips from AMD or hold back the launch of machines carrying AMD products.

作為和解協(xié)議的一部分，英特爾表示，它已經(jīng)承諾不會從事AMD和監(jiān)管機構(gòu)所指控的部分行為，包括只有個人電腦制造商拒絕購買AMD芯片或延后推出采用AMD產(chǎn)品的機器，它才承諾提供折扣。

Intel denied yesterday that it had bullied AMD in this way, and said that it had only given the undertakings as a way to resolve the legal dispute. Paul Otellini, chief executive, also said it had agreed to the massive payment to reduce the risk of the court case, which might have led to a much bigger judgment, and said that Intel maintained it had done nothing wrong.

英特爾昨日否認曾以這種方式欺壓AMD，表示它做出上述承諾只是為了解決法律糾紛。該公司首席執(zhí)行官歐德寧(Paul Otellini)還表示，英特爾同意支付大筆款項是為了減少法庭訴訟的風險（法庭訴訟可能會導致金額大得多的判決），并稱英特爾堅持認為自己沒有任何不當行為。