AMD gloating
So it seems that it's the precedent set, rather than the punishment itself, that could be most damaging to Intel.
As well as the civil action alluded to by Gartner, the New York attorney general has been looking into Intel's business practices since the start of 2008. These US cases are bound to be influenced to some extent by similar investigations in Europe and the Far East.
The other worry for Intel will be public opinion. If people start to perceive Intel as a company that fights dirty, the support its main competitor AMD gets (and counts on) as the plucky underdog could well grow, and influence the buying decisions of consumers and system builders alike.
AMD wasted no time in rubbing salt in the wound on the day of the announcement and its execs have blogged about little else since. AMD even has an entire website dedicated to documenting Intel's legal struggles.
However, while a degree of triumphalism is understandable from AMD, which has been accusing Intel of anti-competitive behaviour for over a decade, it needs to be wary of over-doing it at this time. The ruling does nothing to address the many internal issues AMD still has to resolve and too much overt gloating could undermine its hard won public sympathy.
