Most US residents who bought a first generation Pentium 4 based PC are entitled to compensation, thanks to a new class-action lawsuit. Intel has agreed to pay non-profit entities $15 each to settle the Skold v. Intel suit. Intel has agreed to stump up the compensatory sum but denies any liability or claims of misconduct. As well as the personal $15 compensation amounts Intel is also going to donate $4 million to non-profit educational organisations.
Customers who bought a P4 based PC and submit a claim form before 14 April 2015 will qualify for the $15. If you want to exclude yourself from this class-action, perhaps to pursue your own case, then you have to write to exclude yourself in writing before 15th December this year. Both Intel and HP are accused in the suit. Intel for manipulating the performance benchmarks of the first gen P4 processors and HP for aiding and abetting Intel's shifty behaviour.
So, how do you know if you qualify for the US$15? Read below to see if you are covered by the suit:
"The class in this lawsuit consists of:
All residents of the United States, other than those residing in Illinois, who (i) purchased a new computer equipped with a Pentium 4 processor, (ii) purchased the computer between November 20, 2000 and December 31, 2001, and (iii) purchased the computer for personal, family, or household use;
and
All residents of the United States, other than those residing in Illinois, who (i) purchased a new computer equipped with a first-generation (Willamette) Pentium 4 processor or a Pentium 4 processor at speeds below 2.0 GHz, (ii) purchased the computer between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2002, and (iii) purchased the computer for personal, family, or household use.
Excluded from the Class are Intel’s current and former directors and officers; Intel’s current employees and its employees during the Class Period; Intel’s legal representatives; and any Judge to whom the litigation is assigned and the members of his or her immediate family."
The race between AMD and Intel was much tighter back in 2000 to 2001 with the AMD Athlon series often the leader in the price and performance stakes. Thus a benchmark tweak or two in the right places could have easily been enough to swing some results in your favour and heavily influence buying decisions.
To make a claim you don't need a receipt or any documentary evidence of owning a P4 PC, luckily, you just need to fit the criteria quoted above, "sign the claim form under penalty of perjury" and send it in.
