Sharp settles LCD price fixing dispute with Dell and others for $200 million

sharp-settles-with-dell-for-200-million

In an LCD panel price fixing tiff that's been raging on for what seems like time incarnate, Sharp has settled with Dell and two unnamed companies for $198.5 million to make it go away. Japanese panel makers like LG, Samsung and Toshiba are also defendants in the legal dragnet, and numerous fines and settlements totaling more than a billion dollars have already been paid out to the likes of AT&T and the US Department of Justice. This decision comes hot on the heels of an $87 million setback in court for Toshiba -- a ruling that may have taken the edge off of Sharp's defense.

Sharp settles LCD price fixing dispute with Dell and others for $200 million originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechEye  |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

Toshiba hit for $87 million in LCD price fixing verdict, maintains innocence

Toshiba hit for $87 million in LCD price fixing verdict

Toshiba decided not to settle when faced with allegations of price fixing, and now the company may have to pay the price. A jury handed down a verdict in the District Court for the Northern District of California today, hitting the company with $87 million in damages as part of a class action suit. The civil suit, separate from the criminal charges some of its alleged co-conspirators faced, wrapped today with the decision to award consumers $70 million and gave $17 million to manufacturers who purchased the company's panels. Toshiba may not actually have to pay up, however, thanks to settlements struck by others caught up in the same scandal, which could cover the damages. Regardless, the company maintains its innocence and actually plans to pursue "all available legal avenues" to reverse the decision. For more of Toshiba's response, check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba hit for $87 million in LCD price fixing verdict, maintains innocence

Toshiba hit for $87 million in LCD price fixing verdict, maintains innocence originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPod owners notified of RealNetworks-related lawsuit’s class action status, given chance to cash in (updated: not Real)

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Remember the 2005 lawsuit over Apple's effort to keep RealNetworks' Harmony DRM off of the iPod, calling the countermeasures an abuse that locked customers into Apple's FairPlay copy protection and the iTunes Store? You're forgiven if you don't -- the complaint was filed in 2005. Even with iTunes having gone primarily DRM-free over three years ago, though, owners of iPods bought between September 12th, 2006 and March 31st, 2009 are just now getting notices that they qualify for a slice of any damages if they register and Rhapsody's former owner the class action group wins in court. Of course, there's no guarantee that RealNetworks former Rhapsody users will win and get you music money to feed your iPod, iPod classic, iPod nano or iPod touch, but unless you're planning to sue Apple yourself, there's no penalty for a legitimate claim.

Update: RealNetworks has chipped in to let us know that it's "not involved in any way" with the lawsuit, which is actually an independent complaint centered around the Rhapsody users themselves. RealNetworks hasn't embroiled itself in a legal fight with Apple to date.

iPod owners notified of RealNetworks-related lawsuit's class action status, given chance to cash in (updated: not Real) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica  |  sourceApple iPod iTunes Antitrust Litigation  | Email this | Comments

Antitrust suit carries on against Intel, Apple, Google and others

Antitrust suit carries on against intel, apple, google and others

They can hope and pray all that they want, but Google, Intel, Apple, Adobe, Intuit, Pixar and Lucasfilm will soon be facing some serious accusations in a courtroom under the Sherman Antitrust Act and California's Cartwright Act. After years of trying to dodge legal action over an "informal agreement" to not pinch each others employees, and an effort to have the case dismissed, the seven defendants will have to stand trial as ordered by District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California. In her decision Koh said, not only was there evidence that these agreements were made at the highest levels of the company but, that six such deals were struck in secret in such a short time frame "suggests that these agreements resulted from collusion." There's still time for yet another deal to be struck, however, this time between the defendants and the DOJ. Otherwise it looks like all seven will have to stand trial in June of 2013.

Antitrust suit carries on against Intel, Apple, Google and others originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashgear  |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments