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FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog

June 28, 2005

Competition in Legalese

It was bound to happen: AMD is suing Intel. This is an antitrust lawsuit alleging that Intel coerced PC-makers like Dell and Gateway, and national retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City, to boycott AMD processors. After Microsoft was bombarded with antitrust cases, it was just a matter of time before the second half of the 'wintel' equation was addressed.

From what I can tell, AMD has a decent case. We will have to await further details to form educated opinions. In the mean time, I worry that this could start a new trend. Is a competitor trouncing you? Sue him. Do you feel your product is underperforming due to unfair opposition? Take your rival to court. It does seem at times that America is a nation built on litigation, but capitalism is about competition. Such lawsuits should make competition more fair, and not replace it altogether. Let us hope the next year proves this to be the case.