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DRAM Manufacturers Litigation

Date Filed: July 11, 2002

Court: U.S. District Court, District of Idaho

Location: Boise, Idaho

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro filed a proposed class-action suit against the leading DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) manufacturers, claiming the companies secretly agreed to reduce the supply of DRAM in order to artificially raise prices.

DRAM is a necessary component in a wide variety of electronics including personal computers, cellular telephones, digital cameras and many other devices. DRAM allows for the storage and retrieval of electronic data.

According to the complaint, DRAM is estimated to be a $20 billion a year business and the top six manufacturers control a vast majority of the market.

According to the complaint, beginning in 1999 the price for DRAM began falling dramatically, dipping below the cost of production. Then, in September 2001, DRAM prices spiked and by February 2002 reached as high as $4.50, the complaint states.

Plaintiffs include equipment manufacturers, franchise distributors, and smaller-volume customers who purchased dram through any of the named defendants from April 1, 1999 through June 30, 2002, as well as consumers who purchased DRAM from the defendants.

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Recent Updates:

June 5, 2006 - Plaintiffs in the DRAM manufactures litigation won a major victory when U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton issued an order granting every aspect of the motion to certify the class, rejecting numerous arguments put forth by the defendants.

According to Judge Saris' order, plaintiff’s counsel provided sufficient evidence that possibly thousands of individuals have been affected by the alleged antitrust violations and therefore a class action is the most efficient avenue to move forward.