Intel’s trial on anti-trust charges due to start in February has been halted by a US federal judge in Delaware while Intel lawyers prepare to argue for a summary dismissal of the case.
The judge said he was stopping the procedures so that lawyers could discuss a schedule for submitting papers on outstanding issues, including Intel's motion for summary judgment and New York's motion to dismiss the case.
Lawyers for the New York attorney general's office have stated that they want to have the federal case in Delaware dismissed so they can pursue their claims in New York state court.
The case was initiated by Andrew Cuomo when he was attorney-general for New York. Cuomo is now the governor of New York.
Intel has been found guilty of anti-trust offences by Japan, Korea and the EU. Thw company is reported to have paid $3.7 billion to settle these cases including a civil anti-trust lawsuit brought by AMD.
Last year, after investigating anti-trust charges against Intel, the US FTC chairman, Jon Leibowitz, stated: "We believe Intel stepped well over the line of aggressive competition on the merits, and engaged in unfair, deceptive and anti-competitive conduct. The sum total of all this anti-competitive conduct unfairly prevented companies from competing, bolstered Intel's monopoly, and harmed consumers by stunting innovation, diminishing quality, and keeping prices higher than they would otherwise be."