Electronics Companies Accused of Inductor Price-Fixing Conspiracy

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A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against a group of electronics manufacturers over claims that the defendants have colluded to fix the price of inductors. The suit notes that the prices of the products, which are described as “electronic components that store energy in the form of a magnetic field,” have risen “in a historically unprecedented manner.”

The complaint points out that “despite the lifting of tariffs by the [Information Technology Agreement], despite declining demand for a period of time, despite stable or lower raw material costs, and despite the great international recession of 2008-09 and its aftermath,” inductor pricing has been dramatically increasing since 2003.

The suit argues that the defendants represent 75 percent of the global inductor market, noting that the components are used in all types of electronic devices, from smartphones to advanced driver assistance systems, to military equipment. Notably, the case alleges, many of the defendants have pled guilty to charges of collusion in the capacitor market – including Panasonic, which has allegedly been fined for price-fixing activity a number of times.

The case names the following companies as defendants:

• Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.;
• Murata Electronics North America, Inc.;
• Panasonic Corporation;
• Panasonic Corporation of North America;
• Panasonic Electronic Devices Co. Ltd.;
• Panasonic Electronic Devices Corporation of America;
• Sumida Corporation;
• Sumida Electric Co. Ltd.;
• Sumida America Components, Inc.;
• Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.;
• Taiyo Yuden (U.S.A.) Inc.;
• TDK Corporation;
• TDK-EPC Corporation;
• TDK Corporation of America; and
• TDK U.S.A. Corporation