Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP announced that four proposed settlements have been reached in antitrust litigation against various optical disc drive manufacturers.
For more information visit: www.opticaldiskdriveantitrust.com
Unedited press release follows:
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP Announces Proposed Settlement of Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30, 2016 — The following statement is being issued by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP regarding the Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation:
LEGAL NOTICE
In Re Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation
United States District Court, Northern District Of California
Case No. 3:10-MD-2143-RS (MDL 2143)
If you 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 while a resident 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 during the period of April 2003 to December 2008 for your own use and not for resale, you may be eligible for benefits from settlements reached in antitrust litigation currently pending in federal court. ODD refers to a DVD-RW, DVD-ROM, or COMBO drive manufactured by one or more Defendants or their alleged conspirators. For class members to ensure cash payment, you must file a claim online or by mail by July 1, 2017.
This notice is a summary only. For the precise terms and conditions of the settlement, visit www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com.
Para una notificación en Español, llamar 1-877-368-9020 o visitar www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com.
WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?
The Court has certified a class of indirect purchasers of ODDs. Separately, plaintiffs have reached proposed settlements with four defendant families: Panasonic Corporation and Panasonic Corporation of North America (collectively “Panasonic”); NEC Corporation (“NEC”); Sony Corporation; Sony Optiarc Inc. (formerly known as Sony NEC Optiarc Inc.); Sony Optiarc America Inc. (formerly known as Sony NEC Optiarc America Inc.) (collectively “Sony”); and Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc. and Hitachi-LG Data Storage Korea, Inc. (collectively “HLDS”) in antitrust class action lawsuits involving the price of a computer with a ODD and a stand-alone ODDs manufactured and sold by certain companies (“Litigation”).
WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE SETTLEMENTS?
Individuals and businesses that, during April 2003 to December 2008, purchased a new computer with an internal ODD, stand-alone ODD designed for internal use in a computer, or an ODD designed to be attached externally to a computer anywhere in the enumerated states for their own use and not for resale. Purchases made directly from an ODD manufacturer and the purchases of Panasonic-branded computers are not included. A list of manufacturers may be found at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or by calling 1-877-368-9020.
WHAT DO THE SETTLEMENTS PROVIDE?
The four settlements provide for $124.5 million in recovery for the class. Specifically:
• The Panasonic Settlement provides for a $16.5 million to a settlement fund.
• The NEC Settlement provides for a $6.5 million settlement fund.
• The Sony Settlement provides for a $28.5 million settlement fund.
• The HLDS Settlement provides for a $73 million settlement fund.
If final approval is granted to one or all of the settlements, class members who have filed valid and timely claims will receive a payment. The amount of any settlement payment will be based on a class member’s qualifying purchases and the total number of valid claims made by class members.
WHO ARE RELEASED
The four settlements release Panasonic, NEC, Sony, HLDS, Hitachi, Ltd., LG Electronics, Inc., and LG Electronics USA, Inc. from claims made in this Litigation.
YOUR RIGHTS AND OPTIONS
Get a Payment
File a claim online or by mail by July 1, 2017. The simple online claim form only takes 3-5 minutes for most individuals. Claims may be submitted online at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or by mail to In re ODD Products Indirect Purchaser Litigation, PO Box 43424, Providence, RI 02940-3424.
Exclude Yourself
You can choose to exclude yourself from the Panasonic, NEC, Sony and HLDS settlements and/or the Litigation and keep your right to sue the defendants on your own. If you exclude yourself, you can’t receive any benefits from the settlements. Your written Exclusion Form must be postmarked by October 19, 2016. Please see the full notice at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or call 1-877-368-9020 for complete instructions on how to exclude yourself from the settlements.
File an Objection
You can ask the Court to deny approval by filing an objection.
Objections must be in writing and postmarked on or before October 19, 2016. Please see the full notice at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or call 1-877-368-9020 for complete instructions on how to object from the settlements, and/or notify the Court of your intent to appear at the Final Approval Hearing.
Please note that you cannot ask the Court to order a larger settlement; the Court can only approve or deny the settlement. If the Court denies approval, no settlement payments will be sent out and the lawsuit will continue.
Go to a Hearing
The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on December 8, 2016, at 1:30 p.m. at 450 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA, Courtroom 3 – 17th Floor to consider whether to approve or deny the Panasonic, NEC, Sony and HLDS settlements and a request for attorneys’ fees up to 25 percent of the settlement funds. You or your own lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the Hearing at your own expense. The Hearing may be moved to a different date or time without additional notice, so please check the website below for additional information.
WHO REPRESENTS ME?
The Court appointed Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP to represent the Settlement Class. You may hire your own attorney, if you wish, at your own expense.
HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?
This notice is a summary only. You may access the settlement agreement and other relevant documents on the docket at the office of the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays, or online through the Court’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov.
For more information, please contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-368-9020 , via email at info@opticaldiskdriveantitrust.com, or visit www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com. You may also contact Class Counsel at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro at odd@hbsslaw.com.
PLEASE DO NOT TELEPHONE THE COURT OR THE COURT CLERK’S OFFICE TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS SETTLEMENT OR THE CLAIM PROCESS.