By The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Justice Department is looking into allegations that IBM has abused its monopoly in the mainframe computer business to keep competitors out of the market.
The Justice Department would not comment on a potential antitrust investigation.
But the Computer and Communications Industry Association, an industry trade group that brought the issue to the agency's attention, said the government is examining whether IBM has exploited its monopoly in mainframe operating systems to lock customers into using its mainframe computers.
International Business Machines Corp. confirmed that the Justice Department has asked it for documents related to a lawsuit brought by T3 Technologies Inc., a rival that makes mainframe-compatible computers.
