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Semiconductor industry

Federal Court Dismisses Antitrust Case Against Intel Corp.

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A federal court in Alabama has dismissed an antitrust case brought against Intel Corp. by Intergraph Corp., with Judge Edwin Nelson ruling that the claims should be thrown out. The case centered around Intel's decision to withhold advance information on new products from customers, after Intergraph threatened to sue Intel for patent infringement. The ruling is a significant victory for Intel, which had argued that it was entitled to protect its intellectual property.

Key Takeaways:

  • Judge Edwin Nelson granted summary judgment to Intel, effectively dismissing the antitrust case brought by Intergraph.
  • The case was sparked by Intel's decision to withhold advance information on new products from customers, after Intergraph threatened to sue Intel for patent infringement.
  • An injunction was granted in 1998 forcing Intel to surrender such information to Intergraph, but was later overturned by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in November 1999.
  • Intel alleged that Intergraph had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its antitrust claims, and that the case should be dismissed as a result.
  • Intergraph had alleged that Intel had engaged in anticompetitive behavior by withholding information on new products.
  • Judge Nelson found that Intel's motion for summary judgment should be granted, resulting in the dismissal of the antitrust claim.

Statistics:

  • 1998: An injunction was granted forcing Intel to surrender advance information on new products to Intergraph.
  • 1999: The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned the injunction, ruling in favor of Intel.
  • 2000: Judge Edwin Nelson ruled in favor of Intel, granting summary judgment and dismissing the antitrust case.

Sources:

  • Reuters report (date not specified)
  • Newsbytes.com (http://www.newsbytes.com)
  • US District Court (Birmingham, Ala.)

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