Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[I_banker]

AMD confirms raid on illegal CPU labeling in Taiwan

San Jose, Calif.—Taiwanese law enforcement officials have raided multiple businesses that were allegedly "remarking" AMD processors, an official from AMD confirmed to EE Times Tuesday (Jan. 4).

Remarking is the act of purposefully mis-labeling or reclocking low cost, slower speed grade processors as higher performance, higher priced processors and selling them at higher performance processor price points. It is a form of fraud.

AMD spokeswoman Cathy Abbinati said the legal investigation is still ongoing and thus AMD is not releasing details of the raid.

She did confirm however that local Taiwanese law enforcement raided "multiple businesses" simultaneously over the weekend.

She would not comment on the value and volume of processors that had been discovered in the raids but said that previous reports from other press services on value and volume of processors seized "are completely unsubstantiated and without merit."

The raids in Taiwan follow raids conducted by law enforcement in Thailand in November in which several Thailand-based businesses were allegedly remarking AMD processors and reselling them.

Abbinati said AMD investigates all reported incidents of remarking and recommended that consumers purchase their processors only from authorized AMD distributors to ensure they are not purchasing remarked processors.

AMD does not plan to issue a formal release regarding the raids in Taiwan, Abbinati said.

http://www.eetimes.com/semi/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=56900438