Nine chip makers – including heavy hitters like Samsung and Hitachi – have collectively been fined $US404 million by the European Commission over DRAM price fixing. Cartels: they’re not just for drug lords anymore.
The price-fixing group operated from July 1, 1998 to June 15, 2002. It was actually a gang of 10 until Micron turned stool pigeon eight years ago, leading to the EC’s investigation and this week’s settlement. Samsung received the lion’s share of the penalty at $US145.7 million, while Infineon is on the hook for $US56.7 million. The other companies involved were Hynix, Elpida, NEC, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, and Nanya.
It’s like the saying goes: first you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the multimillion dollar price fixing fine from the European Union’s regulatory body. [ComputerWorld via MaximumPC]
Discuss
Be the first to comment on this post!