The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has sued Intel Corp. seeking to stop what it claims is a decade of illegal sales tactics that hobbled competitors in the semiconductor market. Intel has in turn denied the charges and called the case “misguided.”

FTC officials say Intel not only used improper tactics against longtime competitor AMD, but add allegations that Intel improperly quashed competition from Nvidia in graphics processing units. The suit follows a year-long investigation and failed settlement talks. It also comes a month after Intel agreed to pay $1.25 billion in an antitrust settlement with AMD, whose complaints triggered much of the regulatory scrutiny.

Rather than compete on the merits of its technology, Intel responded “with a course of conduct that has been exclusionary and detrimental to competition and consumers,” said Richard A. Feinstein, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, during a news conference. Intel has since accused the agency of ignoring Supreme Court precedents to advocate burdensome new rules for business conduct. The company said it had been close to reaching a settlement with the agency when the FTC raised last-minute allegations that weren’t adequately investigated, and suggested “unprecedented” remedies that would allow the government to micro-manage it.

Source: Wall Street Journal