Regulators unmoved by IBM's Platform buyout - Big blue turns pale

By Subhankar Kundu @ Friday, July 04, 2008 8:25 AM

Section - Business/Legal

IBM’s Platform buy-out seems not to have succeeded in getting the European Union's antitrust regulators off its back.

Earlier this week, IBM acquired its mainframe competitor Platform Solutions, the company it sued in 2006 accusing it of theft of trade secrets and copyright violations. Following a counter-suit by Platform last year, IBM’s was then hit by European regulators who declared an inquiry into possible antitrust violations by Big Blue. In buying out Platform, IBM must have hoped that the investigation would be dropped.

However, the regulators are geared up to go ahead with the IBM probe, despite Platform's withdrawal of its claim.

An IBM spokesperson claimed the acquisition had nothing to do with the EU probe, claiming it was all aimed at enhancing lab skills and technologies. X

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