Hungarian regulators probe cathode ray tube price fixing

BUDAPEST -- Samsung SDI Co., Thomson SA and Daewoo Electronics Corp. are among the companies investigated by Hungarian antitrust regulators as part of a European Union probe into alleged price fixing.

LP Displays, Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. were also being investigated, the Budapest-based regulator known as GVH said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday.

The investigation is part of a European Union probe that started in November of manufacturers of cathode-ray tubes used in computers and televisions. In 2006, antitrust officials worldwide began a probe on liquid-crystal display makers including Samsung Electronics Co. for possible price fixing.

“Based on the available information, the companies acted in concert on the European market from 1995 to 2007 as regards the sale of cathode ray tubes,” GVH said in its statement. “Discussions about the Hungarian market were probably part of Europe-wide discussions.”

The companies may have coordinated the exchange of market information including pricing, inventory sizes, demand and capacity utilization, the regulator said. They may have also fixed prices, agreed on market shares and limiting production, according to GVH.

Thomson spokeswoman Caroline Ponsi declined to comment. Samsung didn’t respond to e-mails sent to its investor relations department. Calls to Daewoo’s press office in Butzbach, Germany, were unanswered.

Jane Hanson, a spokeswoman for Matsushita in Bracknell, England, and Chunghwa’s Sally Chen in Taoyuan, Taiwan, didn’t pick up their phones.

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