NOTE: If you have purchased a few or a large number of capacitors from any manufacturer directly (not through a US distributor), call us today. For list of direct manufacturers, please skip to the bottom of this post.
A cartel is an agreement between competitors, usually to fix their prices, discounts, and shipping fees at certain levels and keep them there, thus removing the need for competition. The outcome is that companies can ignore supply and demand and, instead, charge however much they want to customers who are left with no alternatives because similar companies are charging just as much. Price fixing schemes are illegal and notoriously hard to uncover, but press reports reveal that a Japanese manufacturer has recently come forward and applied to the U.S. Department of Justice’s leniency program, which provides amnesty to the first conspirator who admits to illegal activity like price fixing.
Capacitor Class Action
The Japanese corporation and its Asian and American subsidiaries produce capacitors, devices that store energy in everything from smartphones to cars. It was recently discovered that these capacitor manufacturers were allegedly engaging in price-fixing on a global scale. Such conduct, if proven, is a violation of U.S. antitrust laws, which were put in place to create an atmosphere of fair competition in the business world. Because the capacitor industry is so large, grossing just over $18 billion in 2013 alone, and because the need for them pervades so much of our extremely technological lives, price-fixing in this industry would create an unfair and unethical financial blow to both retailers and consumers.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has investigated and prosecuted many anticompetitive schemes in the past ten years, once of which even ended in a $500 million criminal fine. With an investigation into the potential price-fixing of capacitors now underway, a similar penalty might be imposed on one or more of the guilty companies. The crackdown on price-fixing should be a wake up call for businesses everywhere to reassess whether they are in compliance with antitrust laws, and for consumers who believe they have been a victim of antitrust infringement to seek legal counsel.
If you feel you have been the victim of a price-fixing scheme or other anti-trust violation, contact Attorney Group. We offer free, no-obligation consultations to anyone who has purchases capacitors, in any quantity, from one or more of the direct manufacturers listed below. We can help you determine if you have a claim. If you do, we can connect you with an affiliated attorney able to guide you through the complex legal process. We can answer your questions, address your concerns, and inform you of your options. Time is often limited, so call Attorney Group today.
IF YOU PURCHASED A CAPACITOR FROM ANY OF THESE MANUFACTURERS, CALL NOW AT (888) 888-0612:
Ceramic Capacitor Manufacturers
- Murata
- Samsung
- TDK-EPCOS
- Taiyo Yuden
- Kyocera/AVX
- Yageo
- Wais in
- Kemet
- Vishay
Tantalum Capacitor Manufacturers
- Kemet
- Kyocera/AVX
- Vishay
- Panasonic
- HS AIC
- Rohm
- Samsung
Aluminum Capacitor Manufacturers
- Nippon Chemi-Con
- Nichicon
- Rubycon
- Panasonic
- Sam Young
- Manyue
- SamWha Elect.
- Aihua Group
- Jianghai
- Lelon
- Capxcon
- Elna
- Chinsan
Film Capacitor Manufacturers
- Panasonic
- Kemet
- TDK
- Vishay
- ABB Capacitor
- Shizuki Electric
- AVX
- Cooper Power
- Hua Jung
