If You Indirectly Purchased Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) Between November 1, 1996 And December 31, 2006 From Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, Etron Technology, Inc., Etron Technology America, Inc., Hynix Semiconductor Inc., Hynix Semiconductor America Inc., Micron Technology, Inc., Micron Semiconductor Products, Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc., NEC Electronics Corporation, NEC Electronics America, Inc., Renesas Technology Corp., Renesas Technology America, Inc., Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd., Samsung Electronics America Inc., Samsung Semiconductor, Inc., Toshiba Corporation or Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., Class Action Lawsuits and Settlements May Affect You.
Proposed class action settlements have been reached with Hynix Semiconductor Inc., Hynix Semiconductor America Inc., NEC Electronics Corporation, NEC Electronics America, Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc., Renesas Technology Corp., Renesas Technology America, Inc., Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., Etron Technology, Inc., and Etron Technology America, Inc. (the “Settling Defendants”) in a class action lawsuit pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (styled In re SRAM Antitrust Litigation, Case No. M:07-cv-01819-CW, MDL No.1819) alleging that the Settling Defendants and Defendants Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd., Samsung Electronics America Inc., and Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. (the “Non-Settling Defendants”) conspired to fix, raise, maintain or stabilize prices of SRAM in violation of federal antitrust laws and state antitrust, unfair competition and unjust enrichment laws in connection with the sale of SRAM that allegedly resulted in overcharges to customers who indirectly purchased SRAM and products containing SRAM, according to the Static Random Access Memory SRAM notice of pendency of class action and partial class action settlements.
The Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) Antitrust Litigation Settlement Class reportedly includes all persons and entities residing in the United States who, from November 1, 1996 through December 31, 2006, purchased SRAM indirectly from one or more of the Defendants and includes persons or entities who indirectly purchased SRAM for their own use and not for resale, as well as persons or entities who indirectly purchased SRAM for resale and not for their own use.
For purposes of the Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) antitrust settlement class action, SRAM means all types of Static Random Access Memory parts and modules as well as pseudostatic random access memory (“PSRAM”). SRAM is used in, among other things: (1) the communications market in cell phones and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology; (2) the computer market in servers, mainframes, high-end computer workstations, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart phones; and (3) the networking communications market in routers, switches, proxy and gateway devices, modems, storage area networks and firewalls.
Settlement Class members’ rights will reportedly be affected by six separate proposed settlements (the “Settlements”) with the Settling Defendants:
- Micron Technology, Inc. and Micron Semiconductor Products, Inc. (collectively “Micron”);
- Renesas Technology Corp., Renesas Technology America, Inc. (formerly known as Hitachi Semiconductor (America) Inc.) (collectively “Renesas”), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc. (collectively “Mitsubishi”) (together “Renesas-Hitachi-Mitsubishi”);
- Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and Hynix Semiconductor America Inc. (collectively “Hynix”);
- NEC Electronics Corporation and NEC Electronics America, Inc. (collectively “NEC”);
- Etron Technology, Inc. and Etron Technology America, Inc. (collectively “Etron”); and,
- Toshiba Corporation and Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (collectively “Toshiba”)
In total, pursuant to the Settlements, the Settling Defendants have reportedly deposited Twenty-Five Million Four Hundred Twenty-Two Thousand U.S. Dollars ($25,422,000) into interest-bearing accounts for the benefit of Settlement Class members. The Micron Settlement requires the payment of One Million Five Hundred and Fifty Thousand U.S. Dollars ($1,550,000) in cash. The Renesas-Hitachi-Mitsubishi Settlement requires the payment of Four Million Four Hundred and Ninety-Seven Thousand U.S. Dollars ($4,497,000) in cash. The Hynix Settlement requires the payment of Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand U.S. Dollars ($950,000) in cash. The NEC Settlement requires the payment of Fourteen Million Nine Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars ($14,900,000) in cash. The Etron Settlement requires the payment of Two Million U.S. Dollars ($2,000,000) in cash. The Toshiba Settlement requires the payment of One Million Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand U.S. Dollars ($1,525,000) in cash.
The Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) Antitrust Litigation Settlements also require the Settling Defendants to cooperate with Plaintiffs in the ongoing prosecution of the litigation against the remaining Non-Settling Defendants. The Court reportedly certified for the remaining litigation a nationwide injunctive relief class and 27 state plaintiff classes (the “State Classes”) of individuals and companies that purchased Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) indirectly from one or more Defendants, for their own use and not for resale (together, the “Litigated Classes”).
A class action settlement hearing (the “Fairness Hearing”) is scheduled to be held on September 30, 2010 at 2:00 p.m., before the Hon. Claudia Wilken, in Courtroom 2, on the 4th Floor of the United States District Courthouse, at 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, California 94612, to determine whether the proposed Settlements are fair, adequate and reasonable to the settlement Classes.
For more or updated information on the Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) Antitrust class action lawsuit and/or settlement, visit the Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) Antitrust Litigation class action lawsuit and settlement website:
www.indirectsramcase.com.
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