Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix Face Class Action Lawsuit in the US for Alleged Antitrust Violations

BlockBeats News, June 29th - Last Friday, the Northern District of California District Court received a class-action lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology. The plaintiffs include consumers and small businesses, alleging that the three companies violated antitrust laws by coordinating to restrict traditional DRAM production capacity, artificially creating shortages and inflating prices.

According to the complaint's cited data, the aforementioned collusion led to a cumulative price increase of approximately 700% in commercial DRAM over the past four years, causing widespread impact on global consumer electronics and business IT procurement. Apple's recent widespread price increases for the iPad and Mac were cited by the plaintiffs as a typical case of price passthrough: the supply gap manufactured by the three companies upstream has been passed through layer by layer in the industry chain, ultimately falling on end consumers.

The legal arguments of this lawsuit did not come out of thin air. Samsung and SK Hynix had previously pleaded guilty to criminal price-fixing cases brought by the U.S. Department of Justice in the 2000s, with both companies paying a total of $731 million in fines, and several executives involved were sentenced to prison. The complaint cites this historical record to present to the court a systematic and repetitive collusion pattern of the three companies, aiming to strengthen the credibility and legal effectiveness of the current accusations. Compared to the first-time accused defendants, this past record provides the plaintiffs with a stronger reference basis and also subjects the defendants to higher public and legal costs in their defense.