Intel reaches antitrust accord with FTC

Intel, the US chipmaker, is close to settling a long-running antitrust suit with the Federal Trade Commission, bringing to a close a legal battle that has dogged the world's largest chipmaker for more than 10 years.

The settlement will include concessions on its business practices, according to a person familiar with the deal, but will not include fines because the FTC does not have the authority to issue civil penalties. The FTC accused Intel of abusing its dominant position in the chip market over the past 10 years, including using tactics to dissuade customers from buying PC microprocessors (CPUs) from its main rival Advanced Micro Devices. The FTC also said Intel had blocked competition in the graphics chip market. Intel faced similar scrutiny in Europe, Japan and South Korea, and last year regulators in Brussels imposed a record €1.06bn ($1.44bn) fine on the company for breaking competition law.