Intergraph to pursue Intel case

The US Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) anti-trust action against Intel may be hanging in judicial limbo for the moment, but Intergraph - one of the companies the chip giant was alleged to have exploited - is still looking for justice.

Intergraph is an Alabama-based manufacturer of powerful NT workstations, used in the utilities, transport, government and media sectors. Separately to the FTC's anti-trust investigation into Intel, it filed a lawsuit in November 1997 accusing the chip company of "using its dominant market position in an attempt to coerce [Intergraph] into giving up certain key patent rights".

On Monday, it emerged that the FTC and Intel had reached a provisional settlement over the weekend. The FTC said it will take up to two weeks to assess the compromise, details of which are currently unknown.

However, Intergraph still feels it has a case. A spokesman said: "We will continue to pursue our private lawsuit against Intel, which has three components - patent infringement, state law violations and anti-trust claims. We'll still be arguing that Intel has a monopoly."

Whether Intel will settle with Intergraph is not clear. Industry watchers have been quick to assume the provisional compromise with the FTC was due to Intel trying to avoid a long and costly 'Microsoft-style' public airing of its dirty laundry.

Others have pointed out that assuming the weekend agreement stands, the FTC is likely to continue a broader investigation into Intel's market position and business practices.