The world's largest maker of computer chips, Intel Corp., will comply with a punishment recommended by Japan's fair-trade agency, which charged the company with anti-competitive practices, the San Jose Mercury News reported Friday. Earlier this year, the agency ruled that Intel had violated Japan's anti-monopoly laws by offering discounts in exchange for exclusive or near-exclusive deals with Japanese computer makers Hitachi, Sony, Fujitsu, Toshiba and NEC. The world's largest semiconductor company denied the allegations but decided not to fight the changes outlined in the agency's proposed cease-and-desist order, said Chuck Mulloy, an Intel spokesman. "We can still compete," he said. "We won't go through the long administrative and legal process, nor will we put our customers through that." The agency contended that computer makers were offered discounts on the condition that they either use Intel processors exclusively or limit the use of competitors' chips to 10 per cent. Under the order, the chipmaker can no longer require customers - nor can customers commit - to use Intel chips exclusively or nearly exclusively across product cycles. Intel also is subject to a fine that Mulloy characterized as a "few thousand dollars". --SP 2103 Local Time 1803 GMT
