Nokia has filed lawsuits this week against major CRT and LCD makers, alleging price fixing.
The companies, or their subsidiaries, named in the suits are AU Optronics, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Seiko Epson, Sharp and Toshiba.
“The investigations are into alleged cartel activities, effectively price fixing, in the supply of both CRTs (cathode ray tubes) and LCDs (liquid crystal display) — components that we have bought in significant volumes over a number of years. Had we not been overcharged for them our profitability would have been higher,” says Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant.
Durrant did not disclose how much Nokia was seeking in monetary damages, but did say they were “not insignificant.”
Result for: au optronics
AT&T has sued LCD panel makers Samsung, Sharp, LG, AU Optronics and two others over claims that they fixed prices on panels sold in the United States in the past few years.
Says AT&T in the suit: The six display makers “formed an international cartel illegally to restrict competition in the United States in the market for LCD panels. The conspiracy included communications and meetings in which defendants agreed to eliminate competition and fix the prices of LCD panels that were ultimately incorporated into LCD products that they knew would be sold in California and the United States.”
Earlier this year, Hitachi pleaded guilty to international LCD panel price-fixing, the fourth company to do so this year. LG already paid $585 million in criminal fines in that case.
Result for: au optronics
Samsung has said it will become the latest company to begin offering new extra-wide 16:9 aspect ratio LCDs for notebooks.
Currently the electronics giant produces 15.4-inch, 16:10 screens found in most notebooks but it will begin 15.6-inch screens that are usually known to be better for movie viewing and side-by-side documents.
According to reports from display industry insiders, the production will start in November with commercial notebook releases being seen in early 2009.
Other display makers such as AU Optronics and LG Display are also reportedly producing 17.3-inch LCDs at the same 16:9 ratio that is usually targeted at HD viewing.
