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This settlement is closed!
Please see what other class action settlements you might qualify to claim cash from in our Open Settlements directory!
Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) manufacturers have agreed to settle class action lawsuits accusing them of fixing the price of DRAM, a small component in computer and other electronic devices. If you bought DRAM or products containing DRAM, such as computers, printers, video game consoles or other electronic devices, between Jan. 1, 1998 and Dec. 31, 2002, you could qualify for benefits under the class action settlement.
Who’s Eligible
To be eligible for benefits under the DRAM price-fixing settlement, you must meet the following criteria:
- You are a person or business that purchased DRAM or a device containing DRAM;
- Your purchase was made anytime from Jan. 1, 1998 through Dec. 31, 2002;
- Your purchase was made in the United States, which includes Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. territories, or from a seller located in the United States; and
- Your DRAM purchase was not made directly from any of the DRAM manufacturers.
Potential Award
Of the $310 million Settlement Funds, approximately $200 million is expected to be available for distribution to Class Members. Payments will be determined on a pro rata basis, meaning that the amount each individual Class Member receives will be based on the number of valid claims submitted. The distribution plan provides for a minimum payment of $10 for each individual or business that makes a claim.
The only way to receive a payment from the DRAM price-fixing settlement is to submit a valid Claim Form, postmarked no later than Aug. 1, 2014.
Proof of Purchase
None required. However, it is possible that the Claims Administrator may request it at a later time, so save any documentation/proof that you may still have.
Claim Form Deadline
8/1/2014
Case Name
In re: DRAM Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1486, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Case Summary
DRAM, which stands for Dynamic Random Access Memory, is a form of fast and inexpensive data storage essential to the operation of computers and other digital devices. Class action lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of DRAM, alleging that they fixed the prices of DRAM from Jan. 1, 1998 through Dec. 31, 2002, resulting in overcharges to people and businesses that bought DRAM or devices containing DRAM. The defendants have denied the allegations but agreed to settle the class action lawsuit to avoid the uncertainty and expense of litigation.
The class action settlements involve the following types of DRAM:
- Extended Data Out (EDO)
- Fast-Page Mode (FPM)
- Reduced Latency (RLDRAM)
- Synchronous (SDRAM)
- Rambus (RDRAM)
- Asynchronous (ASYNC)
- Double Data Rate (DDR)
The class action settlements do not include static random access memory (SRAM).
Final Hearing
6/25/2014
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
DRAM Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Litigation
P.O. Box 8097
Fairbault, MN 55021-9497
1-800-589-1425
Class Counsel
COOPER & KIRKHAM PC
STRAUS & BOIES LLP
GUSTAFSON GLUEK PLLC
MOGIN LAW FIRM PC
Defense Counsel
N/A
UPDATE: Several Class Members filed objections to the DRAM class action settlement on May 5, 2014, saying it contains flaws in how damages are calculated for Class Members. Others object to how high the charitable award payments are.
UPDATE 2: The Settlement Administrator is telling claimants to let their friends, family and co-workers know about the computer chip price-fixing settlement. The deadline to file a claim is August 1, 2014, so act quickly!
UPDATE 3: On June 25, 2014, a California federal judge gave final approval to the computer chip price-fixing class action settlement.
UPDATE 4: According to the Settlement Administrator, Class Members who filed a valid and timely Claim Form should expect a settlement check in July 2016.
UPDATE 5: On July 7, 2016, Top Class Actions readers who submitted timely and valid claims for the DRAM settlement began receiving checks worth as much as $72.69.
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163 thoughts onDRAM Price-Fixing Class Action Settlement
Any update
I did some digging regarding how to calculate the payout. I found a law firm website (Canadian) that lays it all out quite well.
http://www.cfmlawyers.ca/active-litigation/dram-dynamic-random-access-memory/dram-plan-to-pay-settlement-funds/
The Amount of DRAM Purchased
DRAM is contained in a very wide range of products. Over time the amount of DRAM in electronics and its price has varied greatly. To deal with these factors, the plan to pay settlement funds uses a “Computer Equivalent Unit” or “CEU” to compare different products. One CEU is equivalent to the average DRAM content of one computer during the class period.
CEU values have been assigned to various products which contain DRAM, so that class members can easily calculate the total value of their claim by identifying what products they purchased and where they are in the distribution chain.
The following table provides a few examples of CEU values:
Product CEU Ratio
Computers – Laptops or Desktops 1.00
Printers 0.05
Memory Modules 0.74
Video Game Consoles 0.10
DVD Players 0.05
MP3 Players 0.10
Servers 1.00 CEU per $3,400 CDN spent
There is an alternative calculation method for class members who purchased raw DRAM or DRAM in large quantities.
Class Members’ Position in the Distribution Chain
Depending on where they fall in the distribution chain, some class members have absorbed more of the overcharge than others. To address this, the plan to pay settlement funds assigns different monetary values to each CEU for class members at different levels of the distribution chain. The identified positions are as follows:
Distribution Chain CEU Value
Electronics Manufacturing Services (“EMS”) $1.25
Manufacturers of computers for commercial resale to government or education entities $1.25
Manufacturers of computers for commercial resale to non-government/education entities $0.63
Resellers of computers or DRAM products without modification $0.42
Manufacturers of DRAM products other than computers for commercial resale in raw or module form $0.42
Manufacturers or Resellers with stranded DRAM inventory. $2.50
End Consumers $5.00
So, if you are a consumer and purchased a PC (laptop or desktop), that equals 1 CEU. 1 CEU * $5 = $5.00.
BUT the settlement provides a minimum amount of $10 for a payout. So, in this simple example you should receive a whopping $10.00. I understand that it could increase depending on the number of claims however.
I have heard that the claims administrator sent letters to consumers claiming multiple PCs and / or servers for receipts (in the last two weeks)… so anyone entering “inaccurate” or suspect number of devices might get rejected if there is no proof of purchase to back up the original claim.
$10 will get you 2 large mochas or lattes at Starbucks or Caribou!
maybe its being held up because of the outlandish claims I made. I included my server that I created and made google.com from in 1996 re: truthapedia.com and Ive had at least a hundred computers since the 1970s . To me it is just a part of my life, but to someone that didnt ever have a Tandy or build their own system or motherboard, then you wouldnt understand where Im coming from. Dont forget to look at the Playstation suit, I worked for them in 2008 in Las Vegas, it was real cool. The suit is upwards of a few thousand if you can claim identity theft. To me, everyone and anyone using my first site, google, stolen in 1996 is a victim of identity theft: guaranteed.
There is mighty fine medication out there for delusional episodes. ……………. …….. . . . . . .Just read the side effects, or you might end on the homepage of this site.
any word on the payouts and how much will it be.
Nothing yet Jennell. I think this one might take a while.
Hi Justin, How refreshing to read such honest and great info. That is what this site is all about. I myself received cards in the mail that led me to this site. Have now realized how important it is to save receipts and write down unwanted texts and calls. You have given really good advice. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Justin,
Thank you for sharing. It is nice when the consumers don’t get the short straw. Enjoy your two year old, they grow up to quickly. I’m not sure why you are letting so many people in on the class action settlements. Doesn’t it lower all payout to us. If you think about it if you tell 20 people and the tell 20 each and this happens just 5 times you’ve told 3.2 million folks. Wouldn’t that kill the chances of $20,000 again. (20x20x20x20x20=3,200,000) So a settlement of $5.000,000 gives $1 to each of these people. Ilike your generosity in sharing, but I also like my $50 payouts. Have a great day and think about if I’m wrong.
Thanks, ton
Surely you can appreciate the irony of your comment being posted on a website that has the single purpose of informing people about class action lawsuits and settlements.
We have received close to $20,000 from here in the last 3 years (my wife and I as one household and my parents as another are included in that figure) and I want to share my honest Information about the process, how much money you can actually receive, the rules to follow and relative expected time periods of payments for the people who are new to this site or like myself read the mostly spam comments for the 1st time and want to know how it really works:
Anyone can file as many various class action claims as they want, of course swearing under Perjury that all the information is to be true and correct. You do not want to exaggerate the amount of items purchased where proof isn’t required but truthfully the various claims administrators never take the time to look into it. If they do look into it and find you are lying or filling out say 10 claims from your household for every single claim, they will, after a while put your name on a list of people to verify and I guess, based on the comments, refuse payment of future claims. As to the legality of that process, I have no idea. Something along the lines of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. I have never had it happen to me and I fill out every claim I am eligible for and always get paid. I read the comments on here where people say they are blacklisted, but its unlikely if you don’t over exaggerate every single claim and abuse the gift of the free money tree this site plants in your backyard. I have found where you can claim say, a maximum of 8 products purchased and you only claim 6, you may get more money in the check than someone who claimed the maximum.
GCG, Garden Claims Group is by far the most professional and biggest and best settlement admin company out there as they were given the responsibility with paying back the Bernie Madoff victims as well as the $180 million in DOJ seized money from the Full Tilt Poker ponzi scheme. It took 3 years but they wired every penny to me that was stolen from Full Tilt Poker. They even gave me free legal advice on how to claim the 2014 payment on my taxes even though the money was seized in 2011. They certainly did not have to do that. Almost all of the settlement companies tend to send out the checks within the allotted time allowed after the settlement is approved, usually within 90 days. Some are better than others, some just never respond to when they’ll send them out, even though the settlements have been approved and require the checks to be dispersed in a set allotted time period. Not much you can do as a consumer and a member of the class action lawsuit, other than to contact the settlement administrators which can be a tedious process on the phone, often leading to a road of nowhere and no person. This doesn’t happen often but don’t be surprised if you experience this frustration.
Read the fine print, where it says “Only 1 claim per household allowed”, because you will know not to waste your time filing one claim per each member of your household, as they will only process the 1st one received from that address. Why they waste the money on stamps sending out rejection letters only further proves how much money these admin companies make doing their jobs paying out class action settlements. Most administrators make sure they pay out every penny out of the settlement so they can get paid quicker on the back end for finishing their job.
We have received close to $20,000 in the last 3 years in checks as a family, including my parents who live in the same state and file their own settlements, following all the rules and thanks to me, have made money from settlements they had no clue they were entitled to until I sent them a link to this website. Almost all of the products we legitimately did purchase and were entitled to the settlements having received the notification postcards in the mail, and some we became aware of thanks to this site! We just were not aware of this website pointing them all out until I received a postcard in the mail about a Citizens Bank Overdraft settlement.
If it weren’t for this website I would’t have all the extra money to spoil my 2 year old and afford the ridiculous overpriced health insurance, food, gas, electric bills and clothes this societal inflation has hurt all of us with lately.
I want to truly give thanks to the people at this site who do the work to make it so easy for someone like me to find the claims and easily fill them out. I have extensive computer knowledge and I develop code for the internet and work as an IT consultant, but for most people who find this site, they should have no problem with the layout and the format to the settlements.
I have never asked them how they profit off of all their hard work or the large amount of traffic they receive but they certainly deserve it! (They have earned every penny they make off the Google Ad-sense links and advertisements they may or may be paid for )
I tell a ton of people about the settlements but they are either naive or too lazy to fill out the claim forms. I couldn’t believe that I got all those checks from the Sketchers shoes that were crap or the huge checks from all those unwanted and annoying and harassing calls to my cell phone that drove me nuts and with the sketchers and other products I saved receipts forgot back more than I paid for them to begin with because I saved my receipts, which I am starting to do because all these settlements pay back way more if you actually have a proof of purchase, although none of them require it basically.
All the TCPA unwanted call settlements pay great, and who hasn’t gotten calls from all of these annoying companies and banks misusing our personal information on a monthly if not weekly or daily basis! When you ask them to please stop calling and they continue, you need to write it down at the very least if not report it through the right channels. I believe there is a link somewhere on here, which I have yet to click on and fill it out so an attorney can read it, I really should. Just start keeping a log of who calls and when, then maybe you can start your own TCPA call violation suit. I am a 31 year old married dad and I have a huge list of them and I am ready soon.
As far as the settlements that you can not file a claim online, there is a reason for it. A lot of people will not take the time to fill one out if you can not do it electronically. Sometimes you have to print out the forms via Adobe PDF and fill them out and mail them in. Invest in a cheap printer, a spool of white paper and some forever stamps, its worth it! The 3 Papa John’s $50 checks paid for my printer and 40 stamps alone!
Thanks Topclassactions.com !
Nobody paid me or asked me to write this recommendation. It’s just the honest truth. Anyone with any suggestions or questions or anyone who has a more effective way to keeping records and finding out about these lawsuits is more than welcome to email me directly at happyandmarrieddad@gmail,com
Thanks!
Justin
Justin stop telling people dick!!
Benefits will be distributed to Class Members, including consumers represented by their state Attorneys General after any appeals are resolved.
The Court granted approval of the Settlements on June 27, 2014. However, several appeals have been filed with the Court and we don’t know how much time it could take for them to be resolved. Appeals may take a few years to resolve.
In order to receive a payment you must file a valid claim. Note the deadline to file a claim is August 1, 2014. You can visit the website or call 1-800-589-1425 for any updates.
Bob, I don’t see where it has been appealed on the site, or anywhere in the court documents can you tell me where you found it?
Thanks,
several appeals have been filed. it now says it can take years
It will probably be by next summer before we see anything. Its probably the same people who originally filed objections, and it took the judge only 2 months to reject them. There must not be any merit to them so hopefully the judge who gets these appeals will do the same.
court documents say payment wont be until after January 2014
I mean 2015