Intel pays AMD $ 1.25 billion

They settled their legal disputes out of court today with Intel paying
AMD $1.25 billion..



Intel settles AMD court case, pays $1.25 billion

Intel and AMD have also signed a five year technology cross licensing
agreement
Intel versus AMD is one of the tech world’s longest running rivalries,
and it came to head in 2005 with AMD taking Intel to court, alleging
that Intel has been involved in vigorous and vicious anti-competitive
practices.

Today the two chip companies announced an out-of-court settlement to
this case and all other outstanding legal issues existing between them.

They issued a joint statement saying: "while the relationship between
the two companies has been difficult in the past, this agreement ends
the legal disputes and enables the companies to focus all of our efforts
on product innovation and development."

As well as clearing up their legal disputes, the two companies will
enter into a new five year long cross license agreement, sharing
technology with each other. Intel will also pay AMD $1.25 billion, and
has “agreed to abide by a set of business practice provisions.”

On his blog, Nigel Dessau, AMD's Senior Vice President and Chief
Marketing Officer lists these provisions. They include [not] "offering
inducements to customers in exchange for their agreement to limit or
delay their purchase of microprocessors from AMD."

In return, AMD is dropping its court cases in the US and Japan, and also
agrees to “withdraw all of its regulatory complaints worldwide” – these
being the complaints that spurred various regulatory bodies to
investigate Intel and in many cases, impose significant fines.

Considering the EU fined Intel $1.45 billion and that the State of New
York recently filed suit against Intel for its hostility to AMD, $1.25
billion to call it quits and to share technology sounds like a good
deal. Glad the fight is over? Or do you think AMD should have had its
day in court?