Telecompaper

AT&T sued Samsung Electronics, LG Display, AU Optronics and other LCD manufacturers over claims that they colluded to fix prices of panels sold in the US, Bloomberg reports. AT&T has filed the complaint in federal court in San Francisco. The lawsuit claims Samsung and more than six other display makers formed an international cartel illegally to restrict competition in the US in the market for LCD panels. The conspiracy included communications and meetings in which defendants agreed to eliminate competition and fix the prices of LCD panels that were ultimately incorporated into LCD products that they knew would be sold in California and the US, according to the complaint. AT&T argues that its AT&T Mobility unit purchased more than 300 million mobile wireless handsets for resale to its customers.The prices of those handsets were artificially inflated because of the price-fixing. LG Display, Chunghwa Picture Tubes and Sharp have agreed to plead guilty in November to the US claims and pay USD 585 million in criminal fines. AT&T's case relies on the Justice Department's investigation. Samsung spokeswoman Lee Soo Jeong was not immediately available for comment. Spokesmen for Hsinchu, AU Optronics, LG Display and Sharp have denied to comment on the report.