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Micron Seeking Amnesty in DoJ Antitrust Probe?
deaddeng writes "Memory maker Micron Technology is allegedly seeking amnesty from a US Dept. of Justice grand jury investigation of price fixing, collusion, and antitrust by the memory industry, according to numerous news services, including the LA Times and Reuters. Last week, a Micron regional marketing employee pled guilty to charges brought under the same DoJ investigation for destruction of evidence and lying to the grand jury. The DoJ is investigating charges that major memory makers colluded to prevent the success of Rambus memory favored by Intel, and once that was achieved, colluded again to raise prices for DDR-SDRAM in 2001-02. If Micron is granted amnesty, it can keep its executives from facing criminal prosecution, but it may still face civil court challenges."
I can see the +5 funny posts now:
./, I don't know who to cheer for!"
"Wait, geeky price-fixing is evil! But patent-abusing RAMBUS is evil, too! Who's the good guy, help me
Don't be fooled into thinking there's a good guy in all of this. There isn't. There is, however, a bad guy, and it's called capitalism.
If this were a socialist country, or Micron was a monopoly like Microsoft, then such a thing would be possible. However, this is a free market, and any company who wants to sell a lot of RAM would not join a price fixing collusion, but exclude themselves from it. If Micron was doing such a thing, why wouldn't Crucial, Buffalo, Geil, Kingston, and so forth lower their prices and blow the competition away? Most of what happened was because Rambus RAM was attempting to become an overpriced proprietary monopoly (and fortunately failed), plus that huge RAM factory burned down in 2001.
Obviously, a rival is bribing -- I mean, influencing through political contributions -- high-ranking officials to target Micron alone. Perhaps RAMBUS wants to be like SCO and take honest people to the grave with them? Micron deserves amnesty.
Please, this is more insane head-up-ass thinking from dubya's washington. They are big business's guard dog, and they are merely protecting their master's house - master being the most corrupt corporations ever.
Uhh, what kind of crack are you smoking?
Are you saying its OK for Microsoft to get away with what it did, but not for Micron to might have done what it is being accused of doing?
I do not see how this is protecting big business.
Hypocrite.
This comment should not have been moderated down overrated.
It is legitmate information relevant to the discussion.
This blatant censorship on Slashdot is getting seriously out of hand and needs to STOP