BANGOR (AP) – A class-action lawsuit has been filed seeking reimbursements for Maine residents who bought computers and other electronic devices during a time in which manufacturers of memory chips were accused of fixing prices.

The federal government’s three-year investigation of the largest makers of memory chips – a $7.7 billion market in the United States – has resulted in more than $345 million in fines and guilty pleas from two companies and five individuals.

The lawsuit in U.S. District Court names 14 defendants. Two of them, Infineon Technologies of Germany and Hynix Semiconductor Inc. of South Korea, agreed to pay fines of $160 million and $185 million respectively.

Micron Technology Inc. of Boise, Idaho, was granted amnesty by the Justice Department for bringing price-fixing activity to the government’s attention.

All 14 defendants manufacture dynamic random access memory or DRAM (pronounced DEE-ram), which is used in products from desktop computers to MP3 players to digital cameras.

DRAM is sold indirectly to consumers either as an installed component in personal computers and other electronic devices or as a separately purchased component for upgrades, according to attorney Sam Lanham, who filed the case on behalf of a Glenburn woman.

Maine is one of 20 states that allow recovery for indirect purchases, the attorney said. His case is expected to be combined with dozens of others from around the country in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, he said.

If U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton certifies the case as a class-action lawsuit, Lanham and other attorneys across the country will begin accepting other clients who may qualify as part of the class.

Any settlement is expected to cover consumers who purchased products containing DRAM between July 1, 1999, and a date to be determined by the judge.

A similar class action suit over the price fixing in the music industry was settled two years ago. That paid approximately $12.60 apiece to 3.5 million consumers.

Copy the Story Link