Own a Computer with a DVD Drive? You May Be Owed $10

Megalith

Megalith

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Sweet, here comes another settlement amount that I can’t even buy a proper meal with. From what I understand, Sony, NEC, and other big manufacturers had plotted together to increase profits from the optical drives they were selling. As you could assume, they didn’t get away with it. What is interesting is that the claim submission site doesn’t appear to ask for any definitive proof that you even owned a DVD drive—you can claim three products, so this could be an opportunity to pocket $30 for no reason (okay, it is starting to sound like a Slickdeals FP post now). Do you guys even have a disc drive installed anymore on your current rig/s?

…companies were accused of colluding to inflate the prices of optical drives sold to big computer companies and retailers. When HP and Dell placed orders for lots of optical discs, the lawsuit alleged, competing drive makers would share their bids with each other to keep prices high. When the US Department of Justice investigated the issue, at least one Hitachi-LG executive was sentenced to serve six months in prison after pleading guilty to the conspiracy. What does this all mean for you? If you bought a computer with a DVD drive (or a standalone DVD drive for a computer, including external ones) between April 1, 2003 and December 31, 2008, you're eligible to receive $10 for each drive you purchased as a result of the settlement. You must submit your claim here or by mail before July 1, 2017.
 
Max of $30? They should be giving me probably $150 at the very least.

Didn't read all the minute details, but where does it say that the max is 3?

On the submission page, it just uses 3 as an example.
 
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on the form it says 'estimate of $10' so once we get $4.36 checks in the mail, they really have learned their lesson!
 
Oddly I still do because occasionally I get folks that want their pictures on a DVD or something like that. Hmm...$30 that will turn into 3 bucks probably but...(signs up anyway).

Edit:

(Note that while Panasonic DVD drives are covered, Panasonic computers are not eligible, and half the US is out: you'll need to be 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.

Crap...I'm in Texas...
 
These are truly "set it and forgot it" type of deals. I got a $43 settlement check a few months ago for a claim I filed in 2010.
 
I think I bought at least 3 in that time period. At least one was nec
 
What? ... yes I may have a juvenile sense of humour.
 

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Here you go....

What do I have to do to get my payment?

File a claim online or by mail by July 1, 2017. The simple online claim form only takes 3-5 minutes for most individuals. Claims may be submitted by mail to In re ODD Products Indirect Purchaser Litigation, P.O. Box 43424, Providence, RI 02940-3424. We highly recommend that you submit the claim online to receive expedited service on July 1, 2017 or soon thereafter.

After July 1, 2017, an email will be sent to your account on file with instructions on how to electronically receive your payment via PayPal, Google Wallet, Amazon Balance, and others.

Plaintiffs have also collected direct contact information for class members and anticipate making reasonable attempts to distribute monies to class members where an address is available. This method is not guaranteed, however, and to ensure payment class members should submit a claims form.
 
I bought a laptop, a USB DVD drive, and a desktop drive in that time period, according to my records. :)
 
Wholly crap, I have no idea where to begin to come up with an accurate number. Our company builds PCs. We no longer use optical drives in our builds, so I've probably thrown 150+ DVD drives over the years. Hell, I have 9 sitting in storage, collecting dust.
 
I claimed 3, but it's been more like 5 or 6. I like having a drive in each machine plus an external drive or 2 lying around. It's a convenience thing.
 
My state is rarely part of these suits. This one included.

User called me one Saturday wanting to know why he couldn't burn DVDs on his laptop. "Because your laptop doesn't have a DVD burner or an optical drive at all for that matter". "oh".
 
I got a DVD or Blu ray in all my systems. I just can't let them go, they are my bestest friends ever!
 
I always buy two internal DVD burners whenever I purchase a computer, primarily because I like to burn MP3 discs for my car, but also because I have many games on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM that are either not yet available from the digital distribution services (Steam, GOG, Origin, etc.) or the games on the digital services have been negatively altered (the removal of 17 songs from GTA: San Andreas in late 2014 still irritates me).
 
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There doesn't seem to be a limit of 3 from what I read on the site unless it's buried somewhere in there that I missed. I claimed 4 since I have 4 receipts of DVD-ROM and DVD-R/RW drives I bought during that time period.
 
The only reason to have an optical drive in my systems is to rip my discs to my media server. My computer would go " Da Fuk? " if I actually played a disc.
 
I lived in Missouri until 2006, but now I live in a state that isn't mentioned. Still applying anyways.
 
I have a bigger shocker.

There is an optical subforum at [H]!

You need only go 7 posted threads deep into it to already be over a year ago.
 
Yes, I have a blu-ray drive in both of my pcs at home (main and htpc) and I use them to watch my favorite bluray movies, because I am pedantic like that... :D. Plus, I still have a lot of games on cd and dvd.
 
I always fill these out when their easy to do. I mean why not, takes 30 seconds and free money is free money, regardless how much you get. The ram one last year was pretty sweet, 3 people in my household got the max return from that and we went on a mini-vacation with it.
 
Yeah I guess... still haven't got my 970 settlement yet that I didn't ask for but signed up for anyway (on a card I no longer own)

@Master_Shake...... why? I mean I remember back in the 90's where we had servers full of optical drives, but WTF does that contraption acomplish? Rip 10 audio cd's or DVD movies at the same time?
 
I just bought 1 external dvd-rw. Used that until 2012, when I got an external blu-ray drive.
 
Does this class action apply to bluray drives as well as dvd? I have proof of purchase of 2 laptops and a desktop since 2011. One of them had bluray.
 
Hielo_loco said:
Yes, I have a blu-ray drive in both of my pcs at home (main and htpc) and I use them to watch my favorite bluray movies, because I am pedantic like that... :D. Plus, I still have a lot of games on cd and dvd.
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Yeah, me too. Of course, my HTPC has a bluray drive. I have a USB powered external drive for laptops. (And, I'm damn glad I have it, due to one game's installation disk.) I used to run dual optical drives so I could make archive copies of movies and music direct from the original disk. They may be old fashioned, but I have piles of disks laying around.
 
Ducman69 said:
Let me guess. Profits from illegal price fixing = $4.5 billion. Fine from illegal price fixing = $4.5 million. That'll teach em crime doesn't pay!!!
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That's generally how it works. The timing is important and depending on how the settlement is structured it may even provide tax benefits for the companies paying the fines.
 
I still install ODDs in every system I build. Last 4-5 of them only cost maybe $25 shipped per, so I'm not going to give leeching lawyers any more of a massive payday than they're already getting from this.
 
OregonLAN said:
Wholly crap, I have no idea where to begin to come up with an accurate number. Our company builds PCs. We no longer use optical drives in our builds, so I've probably thrown 150+ DVD drives over the years. Hell, I have 9 sitting in storage, collecting dust.
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Unless your company builds PCs for free it'd really be the end user that would be entitled to the settlement money.
 
We build PCs for in-house use, not to sell...

Either way, it's really not worth my time.
 
Master_shake_ said:
how much can i get??
BFA73731-BBB1-4FCA-A5F8A3B1376A1C2A.jpg
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I'm actually more impressed by the fact that the case has 9 5.25" bays. I've never seen a case like that before. I'd have to guess it was designed for 5.25" removable bays more so than DVD drives. Waiting to see the pic where there is 9 5.25" floppy drives in there.
 
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