SAN FRANCISCO - The following statement is being issued by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP regarding the Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation:

LEGAL NOTICE

In Re Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation

United States District Court, Northern District Of California

Case No. 3:10-MD-2143-RS (MDL 2143)

If you purchased a new computer with an internal ODD,  a stand-alone ODD designed for internal use in a computer, or an ODD designed to be attached externally to a computer while a resident of Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wisconsin during the period of April 2003 to December 2008 for your own use and not for resale, you may be eligible for benefits from settlements reached in antitrust litigation currently pending in federal court. ODD refers to a DVD-RW, DVD-ROM, or COMBO drive manufactured by one or more Defendants or their alleged conspirators. For class members to ensure cash payment, you must file a claim online or by mail by August 1, 2017.

This notice is a summary only. For the precise terms and conditions of the settlement, visit www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com.

Para una notificación en Español, llamar 1-877-368-9020  o visitar
www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?

The Court has certified a class of indirect purchasers of ODDs. Separately, plaintiffs have reached proposed settlements with three defendant families: Koninklijke Philips N.V., Lite-On IT Corporation, Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions Corporation, Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (collectively “PLDS”), Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer North America, Inc., Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., Pioneer High Fidelity Taiwan Co. (collectively “Pioneer”), TEAC America, Inc., and TEAC Corporation (collectively “TEAC”) in antitrust class action lawsuits involving the price of a computer with a ODD and a stand-alone ODDs manufactured and sold by certain companies (“Litigation”).

WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE SETTLEMENTS?

Individuals and businesses that, during April 2003 to December 2008, purchased a new computer with an internal ODD, stand-alone ODD designed for internal use in a computer, or an ODD designed to be attached externally to a computer anywhere in the enumerated states for their own use and not for resale. Purchases made directly from an ODD manufacturer and the purchases of Panasonic-branded computers are not included. A list of manufacturers may be found at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or by calling 1-877-368-9020.

WHAT DO THE SETTLEMENTS PROVIDE?

The settlements provide for $55.5 million in new recovery for class members. Specifically:

• The PLDS settlement provides for a $40 million settlement fund.
  • The Pioneer settlement provides for a $10.5 million settlement fund.
• The TEAC settlement provides for a $5 million settlement fund.

These new settlements are in addition to $124.5 million already reached in previous settlements with four defendant families (Panasonic, NEC, Sony and HLDS), which have received final approval by the Court. Class members are still able to make claims on the original $124.5 million in settlements. You can submit a simple online claim form with no proof of purchase required. If final approval is granted to the settlement, Class members who have filed valid and timely claims will receive cash payments distributed electronically.  If you are a Class Member with valid and timely claims and would prefer to receive a physical check, please submit a written request by August 1, 2017 to In re ODD Products Indirect Purchaser Litigation, PO Box 43424, Providence, RI 02940-3424.  IPPs propose to compensate members of the state classes according to a plan of distribution which provides for a pro rata share of the settlement fund based on: (1) the number of ODDs purchased by the class member; and (2) the number of valid claims filed. Any remaining funds may be distributed in a second round to class members, or, depending on the funds remaining, be distributed to the California Attorney General for use in prosecuting consumer and antitrust claims. Under no circumstances will the money go back to the defendants.

WHO ARE RELEASED

The settlements release Koninklijke Philips N.V., Lite-On IT Corporation, Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions Corporation, Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions U.S.A., Inc., Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer North America, Inc., Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., Pioneer High Fidelity Taiwan Co., Ltd., Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing Company, TEAC America, Inc., and TEAC Corporation from claims made in this Litigation.

YOUR RIGHTS AND OPTIONS

Get a Payment

File a claim online or by mail by August 1, 2017. The simple online claim form only takes 3-5 minutes for most individuals. Claims may be submitted online at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or by mail to In re ODD Products Indirect Purchaser Litigation, PO Box 43424, Providence, RI 02940-3424.

Exclude Yourself

You can choose to exclude yourself from the PLDS, Pioneer, and TEAC settlements and keep your right to sue the defendants on your own. If you exclude yourself, you can’t receive any benefits from the settlements. Your written Exclusion Form must be postmarked by July 14, 2017. Please see the full notice at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or call 1-877-368-9020 for complete instructions on how to exclude yourself from the settlements.

File an Objection

You can ask the Court to deny approval by filing an objection.

Objections must be in writing and postmarked on or before July 14, 2017. Please see the full notice at www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com or call 1-877-368-9020 for complete instructions on how to object from the settlements, and/or notify the Court of your intent to appear at the Final Approval Hearing.

Please note that you cannot ask the Court to order a larger settlement; the Court can only approve or deny the settlement. If the Court denies approval, no settlement payments will be sent out and the lawsuit will continue.

Go to a Hearing

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on September 7, 2017, at 1:30 PM at 450 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA, Courtroom 3- 17th Floor to consider whether to approve or deny the settlements and a request for attorneys’ fees up to 25 percent of the settlement funds. You or your own lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the Hearing at your own expense. The Hearing may be moved to a different date or time without additional notice, so please check the website below for additional information.

WHO REPRESENTS ME?

The Court appointed Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP to represent the Settlement Class. You may hire your own attorney, if you wish, at your own expense.

HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?

This notice is a summary only. You may access the settlement agreement and other relevant documents on the docket at the office of the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays, or online through the Court’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov.

For more information, please contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-368-9020 , via email at [email protected], or visit www.OpticalDiskDriveAntitrust.com. You may also contact Class Counsel at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro at [email protected].

PLEASE DO NOT TELEPHONE THE COURT OR THE COURT CLERK’S OFFICE TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS SETTLEMENT OR THE CLAIM PROCESS.

Media Contact
Ashley Klann
[email protected]
206-268-9363