$173M Settlement Reached in Chip Antitrust Suit

Seattle, WA: A negotiated settlement between state attorneys and six top Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) manufacturers has been reached, in an antitrust class action lawsuit alleging that the chip makers colluded to fix prices of the electronics.

The suit was brought by consumers and 33 states, following a federal investigation that began in 2004 and which exposed a scheme where DRAM manufacturers trimmed production so they could artificially raise prices and thereby increase profits.

The six manufactures involved in the lawsuit are: Elpida, Hynix, Infineon, Micron, Mosel Vitelic, and NEC. The states involved in the $173 million settlement are Washington, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

In a separate class-action suit resulting from the same allegations, the manufacturers have agreed to to a $326 million settlement, this time with computer manufacturers that purchased DRAM directly. The European Commission also reached settlements with some of the companies resulting in $410 million in fines.