Hynix cleared of anti-trust charges in U.S., Europe

By Kim Young-gyo
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- Hynix Semiconductor Inc., the world's second-largest
computer memory-chip maker, has been cleared of charges that it violated U.S. and
E.U. antitrust laws, the company said Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Justice began an antitrust investigation in October 2006
into the SRAM (static random access memory) market, which produces chips used to
store data in low-power devices, including handheld devices.
SRAM memory is known to be faster and more reliable than dynamic random access
memory, or DRAM, the most common type used in personal computers.
The European Union commission also has been conducting a probe into suspected
price-fixing of SRAM chips.
The U.S. and E.U. regulators were reported to have closed their respective
investigations into possible antitrust violations regarding SRAM.
"Hynix fully cooperated with the investigations, which began in October of 2006,
and maintained throughout that it had committed no wrongdoing. The
investigations are now closed, and no charges have been brought against any Hynix
entity," the company said in a statement.
Hynix plans to focus its attention on dismissing the U.S. class action lawsuits,
which were filed immediately after the investigations were made public, it said.
In 2005, the company has made a US$185 million settlement with the U.S.
Department of Justice over a charge of price fixing for DRAM products.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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