In a move completely overshadowed by the Microsoft trial, Intel Corp won an appeal against Intergraph Corp in the Washington federal courts Friday. Intel is within its rights to stop turning over advance product information to Intergraph, the court found.
Intergraph originally won the court injunction against Intel in April 1998 at US District Court of Alabama (CI No 3,388). The injunction compelled Intel to supply Intergraph with advanced product information, advanced samples, early production chips and the production chips itself, so that Intergraph could continue in business while the case goes through the courts. We’re no longer sitting here under the gun while the court case proceeds Intergraph CEO Jim Meadlock said at the time. That gun is now back in place.
Intergraph has not shown a substantial likelihood of success in establishing that Intel violated the antitrust laws in its action with respect to Intergraph, the court found. Last month, Intergraph, which is now exiting the hardware market and repositioning itself as a software and services firm in some of its key vertical markets, also saw its patent claims against Intel thrown out by the courts (CI No 3,768). The full trial isn’t due to begin until June 12th in Birmingham, Alabama.
