Intel, the world's biggest maker¹ of computer chips, is being sued by a US competition authority.

世界上最大的电脑芯片制造商英特尔被一家美国竞争管理局起诉。

makers² to use its chips" width="226" height="170" src="/upimg/091217/4_020033_1.jpg" />
Intel is accused of forcing computer makers to use its chips

The Federal Trade Commission联邦贸易委员会 (FTC) has accused the company of using its market dominance to squash挤压 competitors and prevent innovation.

It said Intel had deliberately³故意地 tried to "hamstring使残废" its smaller competitors.

Intel said the FTC's case was "misguided被误导的". The FTC's move comes a month after the New York attorney general launched a similar lawsuit⁴.

In that case, New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo accuses Intel of using "illegal threats" to dominate microchip sales.

Last month Intel also reached a $1.25bn (£770m) settlement with rival Advanced Micro Devices to end an anti-competition legal dispute between the two firms.

'Hamper⁵ competition'

Shares in AMD rose 5.2% on news of this latest action, while Intel dropped 0.7%.

"This is clearly a good day for Advanced Micro Devices, there's no question about it," said analyst⁶ Peter Kenny of Knight⁷ Equity⁸ Markets.

Intel is also appealing against提出上诉 a record $1.45bn anti-competition fine from European regulators.

The FTC said it is asking for an order that would bar Intel from using "threats, bundled捆绑的，附带的 prices, or other offers to encourage exclusive deals, hamper competition, or unfairly manipulate the prices of its" chips.

It accuses Intel of using both threats and rewards to keep some of the biggest computer makers from buying other companies' chips or marketing⁹ computers that carried them.

The complaint names Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM as Intel's targets.