Intel hit with antitrust lawsuit by Cuomo

Intel Corporation was sued on Wednesday by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who accused the world's largest chipmaker of scheming to maintain worldwide monopoly power in the market for microprocessors.

Cuomo said Intel violated state and federal antitrust laws by using illegal threats, bullying and coercion to maintain a "stranglehold" on the market for computer chips.

He said the company has for several years extracted agreements from large computer makers, including Dell and Hewlett-Packard for the exclusive use of its microprocessors, in exchange for "billions of dollars" of payments.

In a conference call with reporters, Cuomo said Intel's "my way or the highway" attitude hurt companies and consumers. "We intend to stop them," he said.

The lawsuit filed in Delaware federal court seeks to bar Intel from further anti-competitive acts, recover monetary damages, and other remedies.

Intel was not immediately available for comment.

In late morning trading, Intel shares were up 36 cents, or 2%, at USD 18.86 on the Nasdaq.

The case is New York versus Intel Corp, US District Court, District of Delaware.