France has taken steps toward complying with European Union law by warning local-government buyers not to favor computers with Intel chips over rival AMD, a commission spokesman said on Friday.
A notice on the French Finance Ministry's Web site tells local governments and ministries they should never refer to the trademark or clock rate of a microprocessor in tenders. Those references have been used to favor Intel, the world's leading chip maker, over Advanced Micro Devices. "This is a very encouraging step, and it follows a recent meeting between commission officials and the French authorities," said commission spokesman Jonathan Todd.
Last week, the European Union executive launched legal action against Germany and Italy over tenders that favor Intel. It is also checking whether several other countries, including France, are violating EU law. Todd said the commission will "continue to monitor the situation to ensure that these instructions are followed not only at local government but also central overnment levels." "The commission's objective is to ensure the proper application of community law by member states," he said.
News source: C|net
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