Intel has agreed today to stop unfair practices including using threats and giving unfair discounts to block out rivals.
The company settled with the FTC (U.S. Federal Trade Commission) without paying any fine and without admitting any wrongdoing.
Furthermore, Intel pledged to give its rivals access to processor technology for the next six years.
Intel had been sued by Nvidia and rival AMD over the unfair practices. The Nvidia case is still pending.
The chip-maker has 80 percent of the microprocessor market.
“It’s a landmark settlement that really will have a striking effect on improving competition in the market,” says former FTC policy director David Balto.
Intel is now banned from “retaliating” against computer makers if they chose to do business with AMD or other non-Intel suppliers.
The European Union, Korea and Japan have all, over the past couple of years, accused Intel of similar unfair/anti-trust practices.
Result for: european union
Opera has released a beta of the next release of its popular web browser, v10.6. The beta features support for the royalty-free WebM video format being pushed by Google. It also features new HTML 5 offline applications. The company claims that the Javascript engine in the newer version is 75 percent faster than the previous version.
The v10.6 release is the next major version for Linux and BSD users also after Opera decided to skip 10.5 releases on either of those platforms. Opera pushed out v10.5 of the browser in time for Microsoft’s distribution of the web browser selection screen that allows users to download and install a browser of their choice as part of a settlement agreement with the European Union.
The new WebM video format is being pushed by Google as a royalty-free alternative to H.264, which is only royalty free to use until the end of 2015, according to MPEG LA. A WebM video file consists of VP8 video (Google acquired the VP8 technology in its $106.5 million deal with On2 Technologies last year) and OGG Vorbis audio packed in a Matroska (MKV) container.
Microsoft is supported WebM by putting support into the upcoming Internet Explorer 9 browser and Mozilla recently confirmed Firefox 4 includes WebM support after resolving a licensing issue.
Result for: european union
President of Turkey Abdullah Gul has used his Twitter account to voice his disapproval for some web blocking practices carried out in the country. Google services such as YouTube are subject to blocks because of content posted by users and deemed offensive by Turkish authorities.
Turkey blocked YouTube in 2008 after videos surfaced describing Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, as a homosexual and an alcoholic. The country has been scrutinized by human rights watchdogs who urge it to reform restrictive Internet laws unexpected of a country seeking membership of the European Union.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) revealed earlier this year that Turkey is blocking some 3,700 Internet sites for arbitrary and political reasons. Turkey, however, maintains that websites are blocked for offenses that include child pornography, encouraging suicide or insults against Kemal Ataturk.
“I know there are lots of complaints about bans on YouTube and Google,” President Gul said in a tweet. “I am definitely against them being closed down. I have ordered responsible institutions for a solution. I asked for a change in regulations on merit.”
Whether Gul’s stance on the issue will mean anything for Turkish Internet users remains to be seen as the office of President in the country is more or less symbolic, with real power being held by the Prime Minister.
