If your company purchased a new computer with an internal ODD, a stand-alone ODD designed for internal use in a computer, or an ODD designed to be attached externally to a computer for your own use from April 1, 2003 and December 31, 2008, from any entity, such as a retail store or supplier, you may be entitled to a significant settlement resulting from a class action lawsuit. There are separate settlements for entities that purchased ODD products directly from Defendants.
Class Action Case: In re ODD Products Indirect Purchaser Litigation
Court Approved Website: www.opticaldiskdriveantitrust.com
Current Settlement Amount: $124.5 million
Claim Submission Deadline: July 1, 2017 or soon thereafter
Case Summary: This antitrust class action lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs alleging a conspiracy involving ODD suppliers to fix, maintain, or stabilize the prices of ODDs at artificially high levels in violation of federal and state antitrust laws. ODD refers to a DVD-RW, DVD-ROM, or COMBO drive manufactured by one or more Defendants or their asserted conspirators. The cases are known as In re Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:10-MD-2143-RS (MDL 2143). This lawsuit is brought on behalf of individuals and businesses who purchased a new computer with an internal ODD, a stand-alone ODD designed for internal use in a computer, or an ODD designed to be attached externally to a computer as residents of Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin between April 1, 2003 and December 31, 2008 for their own use and not for resale.
Settlement Class Members: All persons or entities who, from April 1, 2003 and December 31, 2008, purchased a new computer with an internal ODD, a stand-alone ODD designed for internal use in a computer, or an ODD designed to be attached externally to a computer for your own use in Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin
ODD Products: ODD refers to a DVD-RW, DVD-ROM, or COMBO drive manufactured
Indirect Purchaser: An “Indirect” purchaser of a ODD Product is someone who did not buy the ODD Product directly from any Defendant.
Defendants: A number of the defendants remain in this case, and the class has been certified to proceed against the remaining defendants. The remaining defendants include: BenQ Corporation, BenQ America Corp., Philips Electronics N.V., Lite-On IT Corporation, Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions Corp., Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions USA, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Toshiba Corp., Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Corp., Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Corp. Korea, TEAC America Inc., TEAC Corporation, Quanta Storage America, Inc., Quanta Storage Inc., Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., Pioneer North America, Inc., Pioneer Corporation, and Pioneer High Fidelity Taiwan Co., Ltd.
The settlements with the Panasonic, NEC, Sony and HLDS defendants do not release claims against these remaining defendants. The District Court has set a trial date of February 12, 2018, for the trial of the indirect purchaser plaintiffs against these remaining defendants.
