Brussels targets TV cathode tubes cartel
(BRUSSELS) - European competition watchdogs said on Thursday they are targeting makers of old-style cathode ray tubes -- used in pre-flat screen televisions and computer monitors -- on cartel charges.
The European Commission said a number of companies it did not identify ran "two separate cartels in violation of EC Treaty rules on restrictive business practices."
A November 2007 swoop on companies that included Japan's Matsushita has now resulted in the commission sending a statement of objections to those concerned, a formal step in anti-trust proceedings.
Leading television maker Sony said in March it was ending all production of the old technology, four decades after its commercialised launch.
Outgoing European Union Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes has crunched her way through a mass of business and industrial law-breakers during her stint at the helm.
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