Samsung, Sharp reeled into LCD investigation
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(InfoWorld) - An investigation into possible anticompetitive behavior in the flat-panel display market widened Tuesday, with four more big vendors saying they had been contacted by investigators. Samsung ElectronicsÂ said it had been served with subpoenas by regulators in the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, while Sharp and Taiwan's AU Optronics were contacted by the Japan Fair Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), they said. Taiwan's Chi Mei Optoelectronics said a subsidiary in the U.S. was also contacted by the DOJ. The investigation came to light Monday when LG.Philips LCD Co.Â revealed that it had been subpoenaedÂ by regulators in the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. The probe centers on TFT (thin-film transistor) LCDs, according to Samsung. They are used in a wide range of electronics products including flat-panel televisions and computer monitors, laptop computers, cell phones, and digital music players. The three companies being investigated are among the largest manufacturers of such displays. The investigation comes on the heels of anticompetition probes in the DRAM (dynamic RAM) andÂ SRAM (static RAM) markets. The DRAM investigationÂ focussed on price-fixing, which is when vendors cooperate to set prices artificially. Sharp Spokeswoman Miyuki Nakayama said the company was surprised to have received the summons. Sharp has a policy of "fair and ethical management," she said. Cho Sung In, a spokeswoman for Samsung in Seoul, said: "Samsung Electronics is strongly committed to fair competition and ethical practices and forbids anti-competitive behavior." Among other LCD manufacturers, Sony said its joint-venture with Samsung, S-LCD, had not been contacted by the investigators. Shares in LG.Philips dropped 4 percent Tuesday, while Samsung's closed down two-thirds of a percent. The general market, as measured by the Kospi index, fell 1 percent. Sharp waited until after the market had closed to announce it had been contacted. Its shares rose 2 percent Tuesday. In the DRAM investigation, Market leaders Samsung andÂ Hynix Semiconductor pled guiltyÂ in 2005 to price-fixing and receivedÂ fines of $300 millionÂ and $185 million, respectively. Japan'sÂ Elpida Memory had to pay $84 millionÂ and Germany'sÂ Infineon Technologies paid a $160 million fine. In October several manufacturers of SRAM chips said they had been subpoenaed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) although they did not disclose the nature of the DOJ's requests. The companies were Cypress Semiconductor and the U.S. units of Mitsubishi Electric, Samsung Electronics, Sony, and Toshiba. Â ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has launched four investigations involving the import of computers or electronic device components, including one based on a complaint that several companies are violating patents on DRAM chips.
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High-level executives from Japan's Sharp   Corp. 6753.T traveled to South Korea last week to visit   LG.Philips LCD Co. Ltd. 034220.KS, as Philips PHG.AS seeks   a buyer for its 32.9 percent stake in the Korean LCD firm,   Taiwan media reported on Friday.
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Samsung Electronics has replied to a&#160;patent-infringement lawsuit filed against it by Sharp&#160;by lodging complaints of its own with the U.S. International Trade Commission and the Tokyo District Court, it said Thursday.
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Sony Corp  will look beyond its  current partnership in flat panels with South Korea's Samsung  Electronics  and may tie up with other firms, the  Mainichi newspaper reported on Thursday.
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The SEC begins an informal inquiry into the image sensor maker's restatement.
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Toshiba joins partner SanDisk in government probe over alleged price-fixing in memory industry.
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Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it filed a complaint with American authorities over alleged unfair trade practices by Japanese rival Sharp Corp., fueling an intensifying legal battle over flat panel technology.
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MAJOR JAPANESE manufacturer Sharp said it has succeeded in developing a 65-inch Aquos colour high definition LCD TV. The unit includes a 6.22 million dot panel and Sharp is showing it off at the Ceatec show in Japan this week.
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South Korea's Samsung Electronics  , the world's top maker of large-size liquid crystal  display panels, said on Thursday it was countersuing Japan's  Sharp Corp  for patent infringement.
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Samsung Electronics, the worldâs second-largest memory-chip maker, said on Thursday it would make a $100m provision against possible fines in an ongoing US antitrust investigation.
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A U.S. trade panel that often hears  patent disputes said on Tuesday it agreed to Samsung  Electronics Co's  request to investigate Sharp Corp   for allegedly infringing liquid crystal display  patents.
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TWO of the worldâs biggest electronics companies have hammered out a deal that should help keep them out of the courtroom. Japanese electronics icon Sony and South Korean rival Samsung, the worldâs leading
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Japan's Sharp Corp. (6753.T) said on  Wednesday it has developed the world's first liquid crystal  display (LCD) panel that allows the viewing of three different  images on one screen at the same time.
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Advanced Micro Devices said it had received a subpoena regarding an investigation into possible antitrust violations in the graphics processor and card business.
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South Korea's high-tech giant Samsung Electronic said it was probing an Internet video clip which alleges that its new slimline mobile phone is easy to break.
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Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.  is being investigated by fair trade watchdogs in South Korea, Japan and the United States, the second Korean flat screen maker named in a probe into possible price-fixing, a news agency report said on Tuesday.