Antitrust

The Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. began circulating a petition Wednesday that will ask the state attorney general to approve an independent market, not just another "Ralphs clone," for the corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and Milbank Street. A Hughes market, now at that site, is one of the 19 Southern California stores the attorney general said must be sold to comply with state antitrust law. Six of the stores are in the Valley. Ralphs Grocery acquired Hughes Family Markets in February.

Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Feuer has sent a letter to the state attorney general's office asking that smaller chains and independent stores be considered as suitable choices to replace Ralphs supermarkets. Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles) said he was preparing to send a similar letter Monday addressed to Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren. Fred Meyer Inc., the parent company of the Ralphs/Hughes chain, must sell 19 Southern California stores to comply with state antitrust laws.

In a major victory for Microsoft Corp., a federal appeals court Tuesday lifted an injunction against the software giant, freeing it to continue bundling its Internet software with the Windows 95 operating system. The U.S. Court of Appeals offered a 40-page judgment that analysts said will provide Microsoft with important ammunition in its broader upcoming antitrust battle with the Department of Justice.

The Federal Trade Commission is expected to vote today to sue giant computer chip maker Intel Corp., charging it violated antitrust laws by using monopoly power to coerce customers and rivals. Sources close to the case expect the FTC's four members will vote to charge that Intel abused market power by forcing other companies to surrender their trade secrets. Both the company and the FTC declined comment.

Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. were barred by a federal judge from seeing key documents in the U.S. government's antitrust challenge to the companies' proposed $11.18-billion merger. The surprising ruling threatens the transaction, analysts said, and increases prospects the companies will seek a settlement. However, some said the divestitures the Justice Department is demanding could prompt the defense contracting giants to abandon their proposed union altogether. U.S.

Time Warner Chairman Gerald Levin said the media company is willing to reduce its interest in Primestar Inc. to help relieve U.S. government antitrust concern about the satellite television provider. Primestar, which is owned by General Electric, Time Warner and several other cable TV companies, is looking for ways to reduce the control of the cable owners after the Justice Department sued last month to block its $1.

The Federal Trade Commission's top litigator has recommended that the commission sue Intel Corp., the world's largest maker of computer chips, for alleged antitrust violations, sources familiar with the case said Tuesday. The recommendation by FTC competition chief William Baer opens the way for an antitrust suit against the maker of microprocessors that power four out of five personal computers, the sources said.

Law professor Charles Ogletree stood at the lectern in Harvard University's venerable Memorial Hall and bemusedly told the hundreds of assembled business leaders, policymakers and other technology big thinkers that he had just won a bet.