シャープなど日韓台３社に罰金５５５億円 液晶カルテル
米司法省は１２日、パソコンや携帯電話などに使われる液晶パネルの販売をめぐる国際的な価格カルテルで、電機大手シャープなど日韓台の液晶大手メーカー３社が罪を認め、計５億８５００万ドル（約５５５億円）の罰金を支払うことに同意したと発表した。
今回の米司法省に対しては、シャープのほか韓国のＬＧディスプレー（旧ＬＧフィリップスＬＣＤ）、台湾の中華映管の３社が罪を認めた。罰金は、シャープが１億２千万ドル（約１１５億円）、ＬＧディスプレーが４億ドル（約３８０億円）、中華映管（ＣＰＴ）が６５００万ドル（約６２億円）。ＬＧディスプレーへの罰金４億ドルは、米独禁当局がこれまでに科した罰金の中で過去２番目の大きさという。
日本の公正取引委員会によると、日本企業が海外の独禁当局から多額の罰金を科せられたケースとしては、０７年９月に、ファスナーメーカーのＹＫＫが、欧州連合（ＥＵ）の独禁当局から１億５０２５万ユーロ（現在のレートで１７９億円）の制裁金を科せられたのが過去最高とされる。米国では、０１年５月に、黒鉛電極をめぐるカルテルで、三菱商事が１億３４００万ドル（約１６０億円）を支払った。
また、日本企業の子会社としては、日本板硝子の英子会社ピルキントンが１２日、ＥＵ当局から３億７千万ユーロ（約４４０億円）の制裁金支払いを命じられている。
| 中小型液晶パネルの07年出荷金額シェア（米ディスプレイサーチ） シャープ 20.0% |
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November 12, 2008 Dept. of Justice
LG, Sharp, Chunghwa Agree
to Plead Guilty, Pay Total of $585 Million in Fines for
Participating in LCD Price-fixing Conspiracies
Three leading electronics manufacturers -LG Display Co. Ltd.,
Sharp Corp. and Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. - have agreed to
plead guilty and pay a total of $585 million in criminal fines
for their roles in conspiracies to fix prices in the sale of
liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, the Department of Justice
announced. Of the $585 million in fines, LG will pay $400
million, the
second highest criminal fine ever imposed by the Department’s Antitrust Division.
Today’s charges were filed in U.S.
District Court in San Francisco. The companies have agreed to
cooperate with the Department’s ongoing antitrust investigation.
Thin-Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) panels are
used in computer monitors and notebooks, televisions, mobile
phones, and other electronic devices. In 2006, the worldwide
market for TFT-LCD panels was approximately $70 billion.
Companies directly affected by the LCD price-fixing conspiracies
are some of the largest computer, television and cellular
telephone manufacturers in the world, including Apple, Dell and
Motorola.
"Today’s charges and criminal fines
emphasize the commitment of the Department of Justice to crack
down on international cartels," said Attorney General
Michael B. Mukasey.
LG Display Co. Ltd, a South Korean corporation, and its
wholly-owned subsidiary, LG Display America Inc., a California
company (LG), agreed to plead guilty to participating in a
conspiracy from September 2001 to June 2006 to fix the price of
TFT-LCD panels sold worldwide. During the conspiracy, LG Display
Co. Ltd. was known as LG.Philips LCD Co. Ltd. (a joint venture
between LG Electronics and Philips Electronics) and LG Display
America Inc. was known as LG.Philips LCD America Inc.
Sharp Corp., a Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer, has
agreed to pay a $120 million fine for its participation in
separate conspiracies to fix the price of TFT-LCD panels sold to
Dell Inc. from April 2001 to December 2006 for use in computer
monitors and laptops; to Motorola Inc. from fall 2005 to the
middle of 2006 for use in Razr mobile phones; and to Apple
Computer Inc. from September 2005 to December 2006 for use in
iPod portable music players.
Chunghwa, a Taiwanese TFT-LCD panel manufacturer, has agreed to
pay a $65 million fine for its participation with LG and other
unnamed co-conspirators in a conspiracy from September 2001 to
December 2006 to fix the price of TFT-LCD panels sold worldwide.
"These price-fixing conspiracies affected millions of
American consumers who use computers, cell phones and numerous
other household electronics every day," said Thomas O.
Barnett, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department’s Antitrust Division. "These
convictions, and the significant fines they carry, should send a
clear message that the Antitrust Division will vigorously
investigate and prosecute illegal cartels, regardless of where
they are located."
LG and Chunghwa are charged with carrying out the conspiracy by:
* Participating in
meetings, conversations, and communications in Taiwan, Korea and
the United States to discuss the prices of TFT-LCD panels;
* Agreeing during those meetings, conversations and
communications to charge prices of TFT-LCD panels at certain
pre-determined levels;
* Issuing price quotations in accordance with the agreements
reached; and
* Exchanging information on sales of TFT-LCD panels, for the
purpose of monitoring and enforcing adherence to the agreed-upon
prices.
Sharp is charged with participating in three separate
conspiracies, to fix the price of TFT-LCD panels sold to Dell,
Motorola and Apple by:
* Participating in bilateral meetings, conversations, and
communications in Japan and the United States to discuss the
prices of TFT-LCD panels to be sold to Dell, Apple and Motorola;
* Agreeing during those bilateral meetings, conversations and
communications to charge prices of TFT-LCD panels at certain
pre-determined levels to Dell, Apple and Motorola;
* Issuing price quotations in accordance with the agreements
reached; and
* Exchanging information on sales of TFT-LCD panels to be sold to
Dell, Apple and Motorola, for the purpose of monitoring and
enforcing adherence to the agreed-upon prices.
LG, Sharp and Chunghwa are each charged with price fixing in
violation of the Sherman Act. Each violation carries a maximum
fine of $100 million for corporations. The maximum fine may be
increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the
loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those
amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
LG Display Co. Ltd., based in Seoul, South Korea, reported $15.3
billion in revenue for 2007.
Sharp, based in Osaka, Japan, reported $34.2 billion in revenues
for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, including $6.8 billion
in revenue from LCD sales.
Chunghwa, based in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China, reported
$4.8 billion in revenue for 2007.
These pleas are the result of a joint investigation by the
Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Field Office and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation in San Francisco. The plea
agreements are subject to court approval.
Anyone with information concerning illegal conduct in the TFT-LCD
industry is urged to call the San Francisco Field Office of the
Antitrust Division at 415-436-6660.