EU Clears Intel To Buy McAfee Subject To Conditions

The European Commission Wednesday cleared Intel Corp.'s (INTC) proposed $7.68 billion deal to buy security-software specialist McAfee Inc. (MFE), after Intel pledged to ensure the interoperability of McAfee's products with those of competitors, to solve antitrust concerns.

"While the case raised technically complex issues, a conditional clearance decision could be achieved at the end of the preliminary first phase investigation thanks to the good cooperation of Intel" the commission, which has antitrust powers within the European Union, said in a statement.

Regulators in Brussels were concerned that Intel--which dominates the market for chips used in personal computers--could allow McAfee products privileged access to security features it hopes to include in those chips.

-By Alessandro Torello, Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]