Intel Says Computer Users May Be Denied Class Status in Antitrust Lawsuit

Intel Corp., the world’s biggest chipmaker, said a special master appointed to review an antitrust lawsuit brought by computer users recommended rejecting their request for class-action status.
The recommendation will become the court’s ruling unless the plaintiffs object within 21 days, Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said today in an e-mailed statement.
The purchasers of computers with Intel microprocessors “have not established that they will be able to demonstrate an antitrust violation through common proof,” Special Master Vincent J. Poppiti wrote in a report yesterday to U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware.
Santa Clara, California-based Intel said July 13 it logged record sales for the quarter, beating analysts’ estimates, with more than $11 billion in sales.
The consolidated lawsuit “generally accuses Intel of wrongfully offering discounts to computer manufacturers,” allegedly inflating prices, according to Mulloy.
Intel fell 30 cents to $21.03 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading in New York at 4:30 p.m.
The lead case is Paul v. Intel Corp., 05CV485, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington).