Intel's Munich offices raided by the European Commission

Munich (Germany) – Intel’s antitrust troubles continue, as the company confirmed that its Munich offices were raided by the European Commission (EC) Tuesday.

In addition to Intel, investigators said they also raided “a number of PC retailers”, which, according to the Associated Press, included Germany-based Media Markt as well as Britain’s DSG group, which operates Dixons, Currys, PC City and PC World. The EC noted that such “surprise” inspections are a preliminary step in investigations into suspected infringements of EC competition law.

Europe’s investigations into Intel are based on the Commission’s preliminary findings that that Intel may have infringed the EC Treaty and “abused” its dominant market position to prevent AMD from competing in the CPU market. A first Statement of Objection was released by the EC in July of last year, which was followed by a request by Intel for more time to respond to the allegations as well as a hearing request of the company in January of this year.

Intel was hit with several raids over the past years, including investigations in Korea, Japan and Germany. In a recent development, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo also came forward alleging that the company may have violated certain portions of the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Clayton Act, and the California Business and Professions Code. Cuomo said that he is investigating “whether Intel violated state and federal antitrust laws by coercing customers to exclude its main rival, Advanced Micro Devices, from the worldwide market for x86 computer processing units.”

There is no deadline for further steps in the proceedings of the European Commission. If Intel in fact is found guilty of have violated the EC Treaty, however, the EU could fine Intel for as much as 10% of the firm’s annual revenues, which could amount a maximum of $4 billion.