Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s largest private employer says a billion-dollar antitrust case in Europe will not harm the company’s interests in the state.

The European Commission announced Wednesday its finding that Intel broke the law by using its competitive strength to keep rivals out of the market.

Intel disputes the charge. The company says the news won’t affect the state’s 15,000 employees.

Bill McKenzie is Intel's spokesman in Oregon.

Bill McKenzie: “The decision by the European Commission probably doesn’t have any impact on Oregon. Principally, because Intel is vigorously denying that we’ve done anything wrong. For that reason we intend to appeal the ruling, so that the impact of the ruling, if anything, will be indefinitely delayed.”

The $1.45 billion antitrust charge is a record.

It’s far larger than the $800 million Microsoft was fined by the European Union last year.