Nokia files lawsuits against display makers

HELSINKI: Nokia, the world's top mobile phone maker, said on Tuesday it had filed lawsuits in Britain and the United States, seeking compensation from display makers it accuses of participating in price-fixing.

"We have filed two suits in the UK, one around liquid crystal displays (LCD) and the other around cathode ray tubes (CRT), and we filed a case in the US just on the LCDs," Nokia's spokesman Mark Durrant told AFP.

He explained competition watchdogs in Europe, US and Japan had launched investigations into cartel activities among display makers.

According to Nokia, certain firms and managers have admitted that price-fixing has taken place.

"It seems very clear that there have been cartel activities, fixing prices on components that Nokia has bought in large volumes. We have paid more than we should have done for those products. We are therefore seeking to recover what we have been overcharged," Durrant said.

Nokia said it was seeking compensation from companies including AU Optronics, Hitachi, LG, Philips, Samsung, Seiko Epson, Sharp and Toshiba.

Durrant estimated it would take a couple of years before the cases filed in November were heard before courts.