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Intel offices raided in Europe

European Commission investigators raided offices of Intel this last Tuesday as part of an antitrust investigation attempting to determine whether the world`s biggest chip maker illegally bribed and threatened computer makers to use its microprocessors.

A spokesman for the European Commission`s Competition Directorate said investigators conducted the raids at several Intel offices "as well as a number of IT firms manufacturing or selling computers." The commission`s investigators were accompanied by national antitrust officials as part of an inquiry initiated by complaints from Intel`s main competitor, Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD.

"The raids that took place today were a direct result of our complaint to the European Commission," said Jens Drews, AMD`s European spokesman.

Intel, based in California, said it was cooperating with the investigation and believes that its business practices are both fair and lawful.