Intel Stung by Missing Email

March 14, 2007: Executives at Intel are under the spotlight over email archiving problems, with large amounts of email that could prove vital in an antitrust case brought against the chip giant by arch rival AMD currently missing.

The revelation came to light in a letter to U.S. District Judge Joseph J. Farnan Jr. at the beginning of March, with Intel Chairman Craig R. Barrett and Chief Executive Paul S. Otellini claiming that they believed the company IT department was archiving all email, making it safe for them to delete.

While Barnett and Otellini’s missing email could have significant bearing on the case, they are not the only ones who are reportedly missing email. According to AMD lawyer Linda Smith, the email of over 380 Intel employees sought for use in the case is also currently missing.

AMD launched a case against Intel in 2005 claiming that by coercing PC makers to use its chips it created a monopoly

Intel is convinced that the email is not completely lost though, just perhaps misplaced. "There is no evidence whatsoever that any relevant e-mails or documents have been lost," Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy told The LA Times. "This is a very complex problem and we are working very hard to resolve it."

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