LG.Philips subpoenaed in LCD competition probe

First it was chips, now it's LCDs (liquid crystal displays). Authorities around the globe are investigating possible anticompetitive conduct in the LCD industry, according to activity at LG.Philips LCD Co. offices.

On Friday, officials from the Korean Fair Trade Commission visited LG.Philips' offices in Seoul as part of an investigation into possible anticompetitive behavior, LG.Philips said on Monday.

In addition, the Japanese Fair Trade Commission issued a notice to LG.Philips' offices in Tokyo. and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a subpoena to LG.Philips' offices in San Jose, California, the company said.

The company said it would cooperate with the investigation. It was not immediately known Monday if other LCD companies had also been targeted.

Authorities around the globe are already investigating other chip markets for possible anticompetitive behavior, including price fixing, and some companies have been fined. This was the first indication of an investigation into the LCD market.

The DOJ recently subpoenaed Advanced Micro Devices as part of an investigation into the graphics processor market. It has fined companies for price-fixing in the DRAM market, and is also currently investigating similar issues in the SRAM (Static RAM) sector.

LG.Philips, a joint venture of LG Electronics and Philips Electronics, is one of the largest makers of LCD screens. It competes with Samsung Electronics and Sony, among others.