Japanese Intel offices searched in anti-trust probe

Japan's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) yesterday raided three Intel Japanese offices as part of a probe into possible anti-trust violations.

An FTC representative said, "Intel has been unfairly putting pressure on PC manufacturers not to use its competitors' products."

According to the Financial Times officials also visited the Japanese offices of several other companies on the same day, including Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Transmeta.

The raids come as Intel faces a similar probe in Europe, stemming from a 2001 complaint by AMD that Intel was abusing its market position to ensure customer loyalty.

Intel has also been investigated numerous times in the US on issues related to its business practices, but been cleared of any anti-competitive practices.

Intel has more than 80% of the global microprocessor market.