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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →A 2006 report said Samsung, Hynix and Infineon had agreed to civil settlements totaling a reported $160 million in a lawsuit alleging DRAM price fixing. At the time, two settlements had preliminary approval and Hynix’s approval was still pending; the report does not establish the later final approval history.
What happened in the DRAM price-fixing lawsuit?
EE Times reported on 10 May 2006 that Samsung Electronics, Hynix Semiconductor and Infineon Technologies had agreed to settle a U.S. class-action case, Internet Integration Inc. v. Micron Technology Inc. et al. Consulting groups and other purchasers alleged that manufacturers had fixed DRAM prices and that buyers were harmed. The reported alleged conduct period was 1999–2003. The figures below are terms reported in that 2006 article, not a current adjudication of the civil claims or evidence of an admission beyond the reported settlement terms. EE Times
How much did Samsung, Hynix and Infineon agree to pay?
The 2006 report gave these civil settlement figures:
| Company | Reported civil settlement | Status in the 10 May 2006 report |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung | $67 million | Preliminary approval had been granted. |
| Infineon | $20.75 million | Preliminary approval had been granted. |
| Hynix | $73 million | Expected settlement; a motion for preliminary approval was scheduled for 17 May 2006. |
| Combined reported total | $160 million | Combined figure reported by EE Times in 2006; Hynix approval was pending at that point. |
The amounts and status are as reported by EE Times on 10 May 2006. Its account scheduled a final settlement hearing for Samsung and Infineon on 6 September 2006, but does not document later final orders. It therefore cannot establish from that account alone whether or when all settlements received final approval.
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Which companies were accused, and what happened to the others?
The civil suit named Micron Technology as well as the three settling manufacturers. The report also quoted plaintiffs’ attorney Guido Saveri saying: “Micron is outstanding. Elpida is outstanding. Nanya is outstanding. Winbond is outstanding. Mosel is outstanding. NEC is outstanding.” In that statement, “outstanding” identified companies the attorney said remained outstanding in the matter; it does not by itself establish liability or a final disposition for any company.
The report said Micron had cooperated with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation and had not been fined by the government at that time. That historical description should not be read as a statement about Micron’s status today.
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How were the civil settlements different from the DOJ criminal cases?
The civil case was a purchaser class action seeking to resolve alleged harm from price fixing. Separately, the 2006 report said Samsung, Hynix and Infineon had pleaded guilty in related DOJ criminal cases. These criminal fines were not part of the reported $160 million civil settlement total:
| Company | Reported corporate DOJ fine | Timing in the 2006 account |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung | $300 million | November 2005 |
| Hynix | $185 million | April 2005 |
| Infineon | $160 million | 2004 |
Those dates and amounts are reported by EE Times. The same article said executives received fines and jail sentences of up to eight months. It does not provide individual names or sentence details.
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