New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed an antitrust lawsuit against Intel Corp. on Wednesday alleging the US computer chip giant engaged in a "worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct."

"Rather than compete fairly, Intel used bribery and coercion to maintain a stranglehold on the market," Cuomo said in a statement.

"Intel's actions not only unfairly restricted potential competitors, but also hurt average consumers who were robbed of better products and lower prices," he said.

"These illegal tactics must stop and competition must be restored to this vital marketplace," Cuomo said.

The statement said the suit charges that "Intel violated state and federal anti-monopoly laws by engaging in a worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct -- revealed in e-mails -- in order to maintain its monopoly power and prices in the market for microprocessors."

European Union antitrust regulators fined Intel a record 1.06 billion euros (1.45 billion dollars) in May, claiming the company abused its stranglehold on the semiconductor market to crush its main rival, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).