IBM, European Commission Near Settlement in Antitrust Probe

The European Commission recently revealed that, following an antitrust investigation, technology titan IBM has agreed to offer certain concessions regarding competing mainframe support providers.

The commission's probe into IBM began in July 2010 when the executive body raised concerns over IBM's anti-competitive behavior. European officials alleged that IBM's practices were discriminatory against rival companies.

IBM has not conceded to the commission's original assessment, but it did, nevertheless, agree to certain terms. For example, the company stated it has established "certain System z parts-ordering procedures."

"I commend IBM's readiness to address our concerns about fair competition in the market for large computers which are crucial for the functioning of today's economy," said EC vice president and competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia in a statement.

The EC also announced that it has dropped a second antitrust probe against IBM that alleged the company had tied its mainframe hardware to its preferred operating system.