US PC users have banded together to protest against "deceptive advertising" of hard drive capacity by filling a lawsuit against the world's biggest computer manufacturers.

Apple Computer, Dell, Gateway Inc, HP, IBM, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba Corp are named in the lawsuit, which seeks to attain class-action status.

The lawsuit objects to the notation used in describing the capacity of hard disk drives in manufacturers' promotional material. For example, a "20 GB" hard drive would only have 18.6 GB usable capacity, the complaint maintains.

This practice is deceptive, according to the complainants, who are asking the courts to grant an injunction to force vendors to curtail the practice. The lawsuit also seeks damages to be levied against the defendants. ®