When one thinks of a cartel, illegal drug empires usually come to mind. But the European Commission isn't going after weed and coke distributors—they're targeting a group of companies that allegedly rigged the optical drive market.
According the E.U., 13 companies, the names of which have not yet been revealed, worked together to coordinate the supply of compact disc drives from computer and servers, which would in turn affect the price of the drives. "The Commission takes the preliminary view that the companies concerned engaged for at least five years in bid rigging, which is one of the most serious breaches of EU antitrust rules," said the E.U. in a statement today.
If found guilty, the companies involved would be forced to pay up to 10 percent of annual revenue.
[via PC Mag]
