Although given ten days by the European Commission, Intel has rushed to respond almost immediately to today’s statement of objections by the EU body outlining what it believes to be anti-competitive practises exploiting its leading market position.
Bruce Sewell, senior vice president and general counsel at Intel, said the company is certain that its practices have been “lawful, pro-competitive, and beneficial to consumers”.
He went on to outline that the anti-competitive complaints had in fact been made not by customers but by market competitors.
The statement of objections issued by the EU are, said Sewell, only preliminary, and not actual findings of Intel having violated EU law.
Now that the company has responded to the EC’s objections, it will undergo an oral hearing at which it may defend its business practices.
The senior vice president hinted at the fact that organisations operating in the computer processor market were to blame themselves for underperforming if they found that market unkind to them.
“The evidence that this industry is fiercely competitive and working is compelling. When competitors perform and execute the market rewards them. When they falter and under-perform the market responds accordingly”, Sewell claimed.
By Marie Boran
