State attorneys general in Maryland and 32 other states have reached a $173 million settlement with six computer chip manufacturers who were accused in antitrust lawsuits of conspiring to raise prices on their products.

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler said the settlement with Micron Technology In, NEC Electronics America Inc., Infineon Technologies, Hynix Semiconductor, Elpida Memory Inc. and Mosel-Vitelic Corp. offers restitution for consumers and state and local government agencies that paid higher prices for computers and other electronics because of the alleged price fixing scheme. Maryland and other states had previously reached a separate settlement with computer chip maker Samsung Semiconductor Inc., also accused in the price-fixing scheme.

In the most recent settlement, $1.2 million will go to Maryland state and local governments. The states' investigation had showed that the manufacturers exchanged confidential information and agreed to quote inflated prices to customers such as computer makers Dell, IBM and Hewlett-Packard.

lorraine.mirabella@baltsun.com

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