Opinion ID: 3052597
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Centerprise is a British corporation that uses DRAM in the manufacture of its computers. DRAM is a common type of memory chip that is sold around the world. According to Centerprise, DRAM is “a readily transportable commodity product with multiple firms offering essentially identical parts.” Centerprise purchased DRAM outside of the United States from the defendants, various memory companies. Centerprise brought this antitrust class action in May 2005 on behalf of itself and all others similarly situated, pursuant to §§ 4(a), 12 and 16 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 15, 22 and 26, seeking injunctive relief and damages, premised on defendants’ alleged violations of federal antitrust laws, including § 1 of the Sherman Act.2 Centerprise alleged that the defendants engaged in a global conspiracy to fix DRAM prices, raising the price of DRAM to customers in both the United States and foreign countries. Specifically, Centerprise asserted that the domestic effect of the defendants’ anticompetitive conduct — higher DRAM prices in the United States — gave rise to its foreign injury of having to pay higher DRAM prices abroad because the defendants could not have raised prices worldwide and maintained their global pricefixing arrangement without fixing the DRAM prices in the United States. The district court dismissed the complaint with prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under the FTAIA. Rely- 2 Centerprise defined the class as “[a]ll individuals and entities located outside of the United States who, during the period from approximately July 1, 1999 through at least June 20, 2002 (the ‘Class Period’), purchased DRAM directly from defendants, any subsidiaries or affiliates thereof.” 10650 IN RE DYNAMIC RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY ing on the Supreme Court’s decision in F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. v. Empagran S.A., 542 U.S. 155 (2004) (“Empagran I”), and the D.C. Circuit’s decision in that case on remand, the district court held that Centerprise had not met the jurisdictional prerequisites under the FTAIA because it had not sufficiently alleged that its foreign injury was directly linked to the domestic effect of higher U.S. prices for DRAM. The district court also denied Centerprise leave to amend its complaint as futile because its proposed amendments did not substantively change its theory of recovery. Centerprise timely appealed.