Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said it has been contacted by the U.S. Justice Department's Antitrust Division concerning sales of DRAMs from 1998 to 2002.
The latest U.S. investigation includes Mitsubishi Electric and Electronics USA Inc., as well as parent company Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and affiliates. The companies withdrew from the DRAM business in early 2003.
The move hints that the DRAM price-fixing scandal could extend beyond the companies that have already been implicated. Earlier this month, Samsung Electronics, Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG agreed to pay fines totaling $160 million to settle a class-action suit involving DRAM price fixing.
Following a Justice probe, Samsung, Hynix and Infineon pleaded guilty to charges of DRAM price fixing between 1999 and 2003. All three companies were hit with fines ranging from $160 million to $300 million, with executives from each assessed additional fines and jail sentences of up to eight months.
Mitsubishi and several of its subsidiaries have already been hit with civil suits alleging DRAM price fixing. The company said it was uncertain about what impact the Justice Department request or civil lawsuits regarding DRAM sales would have on its businesses. It said it would not reassess the fiscal 2006 business forecast that it announced in April.
By: DocMemory
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