GE Settles Two Antitrust Suits

General Electric Co. settled two antitrust lawsuits by agreeing to drop software licensing restrictions on hospitals and making a divestiture that will let it acquire InnoServ Technologies Inc., the Justice Department said. To settle a 1996 lawsuit, Fairfield, Conn.-based GE agreed to let more than 500 hospitals nationwide compete with it to service medical equipment at other hospitals and clinics. In the second case, GE resolved competitive concerns about its InnoServ acquisition by agreeing to divest that company’s Prevu software unit, used to service medical imaging equipment. Without the divestiture, the company would have controlled the market for servicing some medical imaging equipment. GE, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of medical imaging equipment, could not be reached for comment. InnoServ, based in Arlington, Texas, is an independent organization that services medical imaging equipment.