EU Confirms Intel's Response To Antitrust Market Abuse Charges

The European Commission Monday confirmed Intel Corp. (INTC) has responded to its antitrust charges accusing it of squeezing out rival computer chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) by illegal sales practices.

The company spokesman Robert Manetta said Intel had confirmed answering the charges in a filing to U.S. regulatory authorities earlier this month.

The court ruled in late January that Intel had no legal grounds to delay the commission's probe.

The chip giant's response to the commission's charges comes some four months after an initial Oct. 17 deadline the company missed due to contesting the deadline at the European Court of First Instance.

The European Commission confirmed having received Intel's response Feb. 5.

The commission said despite the delay it would now assess whether the information submitted "is necessary to properly conduct the administrative procedure in this antitrust case."

However the commission rejected Intel's request for an oral hearing, which the company had applied for when submitting its defense.

"That request has been considered and rejected by the Commission's Competition Hearing Officer," the commission said in a statement.

-By Peppi Kiviniemi, Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]