Japanese fair trade commission raids Intel offices

[Big Booger]

The Japanese fair trade commission (FTC) is currently raiding a number of Intel offices in the country as part of a nationwide investigation into cartels, sources tell the INQUIRER.



The raids are taking place, we understand, as part of a general investigation by the FTC into companies which may breach the rather stringent Japanese antimonopoly laws.

We'll have more on this when we verify it, but the FTC is currently holding a press conference in Japan on the reason for the raids.

http://theinquirer.net/?article=15230

[Taro Toporific]

The Japanese fair trade commission (FTC) is currently raiding a number of Intel offices ...

I thought this raid was last week. Shouldn't the "breaking news" mention this?

Japan adds pressure against Microsoft
Seattle Times, WA - Apr 5, 2004
... The government official consulted about the fair-trade raid said Japan wants to see what Microsoft will do next ...
... "The Japanese Fair Trade Commission wants to demonstrate it's marching in lockstep with the other nations," said Tadaaki Mataga, a Gartner analyst who thinks anything more than a warning is unlikely.

The fair-trade agency said a possibly restrictive clause in Microsoft contracts with hardware companies here was behind the raid. The language essentially barred Japanese companies that license Windows operating systems from any legal action against Microsoft over patent violations, commission and Microsoft officials say.

Microsoft has denied any wrongdoing. But shortly after the commission's Feb. 26 raid, the company said it had decided the previous week to delete the clause in future contracts &#8212]http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001895704_btjapanmicrosoft05.html[/url]

[Big Booger]

I knew of the Microsoft raid, but this is geared at Intel.. I think the two are related, and I wonder why they didn't make the connection as well...

[Taro Toporific]

I knew of the Microsoft raid, but this is geared at Intel.. I think the two are related, and I wonder why they didn't make the connection as well...

Boy-o-boy, Intel sure got a break on this one: that's a looooong lead time to shread all document remotely related to the Microsoft raid.

[GuyJean]

The raids are taking place as part of a general investigation by the FTC into companies which may breach the rather stringent Japanese antimonopoly laws.

The Japanese.. ( ).. are raiding foreign companies.. ( ).. on suspicion they breach the..( ).. "stringent" Japanese antimonoply laws!!??

Do the Japanese even know what a monopoly is?.. Oh yeah.. Different hyphenated name at end of same company name = competition.. Asians are so good at math.. (I guess that's racist.. But it's a compliment.. )

GJ

[Mulboyne]

AMD put some names to the allegations:

PCWorld: AMD Describes Antitrust Strategy
McCoy: Let's take AMD in Japan. We were very successful in the European market with Sony. Sony sells a lot of computers into the European market based on our technology. So there was a choice, in Europe consumers had a choice. They could buy a Sony computer based on our technology, and Sony computers based on Intel technology. And a very high percentage of consumers, around 40 percent, wanted to buy Sony computers based on our technology. So what Intel did is they went to Japan and said look, we're going to make you a deal. But the deal includes kicking AMD out, so you can't buy from AMD anymore. As a result of that, our business with Sony went to zero, and consumers around the world no longer had the choice of buying our technology...more...

[Mulboyne]

BusinessWeek: Advanced Micro gets ruling in Intel case

A Tokyo court has ordered the release of evidence that could help Advanced Micro Devices Inc. in its antimonopoly suit against Intel Corp.'s Japanese unit, Advanced Micro said Friday. Advanced Micro, whose Japanese unit is suing rival chip maker Intel's unit in Japan for allegedly violating the country's antimonopoly laws, said the Tokyo District Court has ruled that Japanese regulators must turn over evidence collected at Intel's Japanese offices for the case. An Intel spokesperson couldn't immediately be reached for comment...more...

Based on the documents they obtained from Intel, the Fair Trade Commission in Japan found ruled that the company had abused its monopoly position. If AMD now has access to these same documents, it ought to help their case substantially. You can see the euphoric AMD news release here.