The Hard Drive Cartel | Criminal Conspiracy & Price Fixing
Gamers Nexus
Jul 12, 2026
Major suspension assembly manufacturers, including TDK and NHK Spring, allegedly conspired for over a decade to fix prices and allocate market share. By coordinating bids and driving out competition, these firms artificially inflated costs for consumers globally, a scheme now validated by multiple international antitrust investigations and a certified class-action lawsuit.
Key insight: In a brazen display of market manipulation, TDK and NHK Spring executives explicitly agreed to form a faction within their own cartel specifically to drive their competitor, Hutcherson Technology, out of business before TDK eventually acquired them.
