Samsung, the world"s largest memory chip manufacturer, has pleaded guilty to price fixing and agreed to pay a $300 million fine, US officials announced today. The fine is the second largest antitrust settlement and is the culmination of a three year investigation into Samsung"s $7.7 billion computer chip market in the US.
The US government"s acting antitrust chief, Thomas O. Barnett, said that Samsung"s employees were not protected by the plea, and could face individual charges. The company received grand jury subpoenas in 2002 regarding the investigation, and had set aside $100 million late last year to cover possible penalties.