TECHNOLOGY - July 3, 1996

Antitrust Restrictions on IBM End: The Justice Department said the competitive climate in the industry has changed so radically since the mid-1950s that the restrictions on the firm’s mid-frame and mainframe computers are no longer needed. The department’s 1956 case against Armonk, N.Y.-based International Business Machines Corp. accused the company of seeking a monopoly in some aspects of the computer industry. IBM has been fighting since 1994 to end the restrictions, saying they were an anachronism and irrelevant in today’s more competitive environment. “The IBM decree has proved enormously successful in encouraging competition in various computer markets over the years,” said Deputy Assistant Atty. Gen. David Turetsky, a top antitrust division official.