A class action lawsuit has been filed against Samsung, Micron, and Hynix by law firm Hagens Berman in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. According to the investigation by the firm these three DRAM manufacturers conspired to limit the supply of DRAM chips between 2016 and 2017 with the purpose of inflating their prices.
DRAM prices saw a 47 percent increase in price during 2017, which make it the largest jump ever in the last 30 years. Samsung, Micron, and Hynix collectively own 96 percent of the worldwide DRAM market as of 2017. The conduct of these companies “changed abruptly” when the Chinese government launched an investigation into the matter.
This class action is open to consumers in the U.S. who’ve purchased a device that uses DRAM between July 1, 2016 and February 1, 2018.
“What we’ve uncovered in the DRAM market is a classic antitrust, price-fixing scheme in which a small number of kingpin corporations hold the lion’s share of the market,” stated Hagens Berman managing partner Steve Berman. “Instead of playing by the rules, Samsung, Micron and Hynix chose to put consumers in a chokehold, wringing the market for more profit.”
