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Seagate Wins Appeal in NHK Price-Fixing Case
9 Jan
Summary
- Court revived Seagate's antitrust claims against NHK Spring.
- Seagate alleges illegal price fixing on technology parts.
- Case concerns purchases made by foreign affiliates abroad.
A U.S. appeals court has granted Seagate Technology a second chance to pursue antitrust claims against Japanese manufacturer NHK Spring. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived key allegations that NHK illegally fixed prices for essential technology components. Seagate, a prominent hard disk drive producer, claims it was overcharged for suspension assemblies purchased abroad by its foreign entities.
The appeals court's decision on January 8, 2026, overturns a district judge's earlier ruling that dismissed much of Seagate's lawsuit due to its focus on foreign commercial activity. The court found that Seagate's claims might fall under an exception to general U.S. antitrust laws that apply to foreign transactions, specifically the Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act.
Circuit Judge Kenneth Lee stated that "Americans too were harmed by NHK's price-fixing." NHK Spring had previously pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to a price-fixing conspiracy involving assemblies sold domestically and internationally. Seagate filed its lawsuit in 2019, and the case now returns to the trial court.
