Richard Denison of the Environmental Defense Fund, another of the six groups, accused manufacturers of "preying on the environmental concerns of American consumers" to sell trash bags and other plastic items.

American manufacturers tried last year to legislate victory when they accused Japanese manufacturers of "dumping" - selling minivans in America below reasonable production costs.

Giles Chichester, the Conservative energy spokesman in the European parliament, accused manufacturers of "exploiting a market opportunity" by raising the price of 60-watt bulbs.

But is accuses manufacturers of being misleading.

The suit, filed on behalf of thousands of Saipan garment workers, accuses the brand-name retailers and manufacturers of participating in a "racketeering conspiracy" in which young women from Southeast Asia are lured to Saipan with promises of well-paid jobs in the United States.

All have laws that permit "indirect" purchasers, typically retail customers who have not dealt with manufacturers, to bring damage suits accusing manufacturers of conspiring to fix prices.

Richard Feldman, the executive director of the American Shooting Sports Council, said that trying to accuse manufacturers and dealers of "public nuisance was a fascinating theory but it doesn't apply to a sale of a lawful product unless there was in fact collusion to violate the law."

Partly because the phenomenon occurs with such regularity, they often accuse manufacturers of creating artificial shortages to pump up interest in their products.

Many businesses in Fort Payne accused foreign manufacturers, particularly those from China, of engaging in dumping of socks below cost, to force American companies out of the sock business.

Despite Coles refuting allegations of bullying behaviour, CEO Ian McLeod accused multinational manufacturers of making excess profits in Australia, arguing that equivalent pack sizes of Coke, toothpaste and other consumer products could be purchased in Asia for up to 60% lower than in Australia.