Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1999/08/18/intel_remarks_own_chips/

Intel re-marks own chips

Trading standard body lets Satan off the hook

By Mike Magee

Posted in On-Prem, 18th August 1999 07:22 GMT

Four years ago From The Register No. 20, August 1995 Loyal readers will remember how The Register got itself in trouble with the great Satan of Chips (Intel, for those of you with no imagination), earlier this year. We'd said Intel had re-marked its own chips and for reason best known to itself, Andy's company went a bit incandescent. We can now move that forward a little bit. A letter from the Barnet Trading Standards Organisation ( a British consumer group authorised by .GOV), has somehow fallen into the hands of The Register. A lone dealer had complained he bought two DX4/100s and somehow got suspicious because they had heat sinks glued on. He prised them off to discover that they were, in fact, a special batch of DX2/66s, which Intel technical support had manufactured. OK, bang to rights. No. Intel complained like hell. But the Barnet TSO wrote the complainant (plaintiff in plain speak) back like this. "A criminal offence may be committed in this way as the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 creates an offence for applying a false trade description to goods in the course of a trade or business. "In this case however legal proceedings would not seem appropriate...I did ask whether Intel, as a sign of good will, would be willing to "buy back" your CPUs in exchange for accurately marked ones. I regret however they were not." Paul Wetherall, Trading Standards Enforcement Officer (Barnet). Intel, therefore, is bang to rights. Need we say more? ®