Editing Lotus Software (section)

===Assimilation of name, website, and branding===
While IBM allowed Lotus to develop, market, and sell its products under its own brand name, a restructuring in January 2001<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lotus restructuring may lead to tighter IBM control|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/lotus-restructuring-may-lead-to-tighter-ibm-control/|access-date=2020-07-14|website=CNET|language=en}}</ref> brought it more in line with its parent company, IBM. Also, IBM moved vital marketing and management functions from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to IBM's New York office.

Gradually, the Lotus.com website changed its "About us" section to eliminate references to "Lotus Development Corporation". The Lotus.com web page in 2001 clearly showed the company as "Lotus Development Corporation" with "a word from its CEO" by 2002, the "About us" section was removed from its site menu, and the Lotus logo was replaced with the IBM logo. By 2003 an "About Lotus" link returned to the Lotus.com page on its sidebar, but this time identifying the company as "Lotus software from IBM" and showing in its contact information "Lotus Software, IBM Software Group". By 2008 the Lotus.com domain name stopped showing a standalone site, instead redirecting to www.ibm.com/software/lotus, and in 2012 the site discontinued all reference to Lotus Software in favor of IBM Collaboration Solutions.

IBM discontinued development of IBM Lotus Symphony in 2012 with the final release of version 3.0.1, moving future development effort to Apache OpenOffice, and donating the source code to the Apache Software Foundation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07/14/ibm_symphony_goes_to_asf/ |title=IBM crams Lotus Symphony back into OpenOffice |author=Gavin Clarke |date=July 14, 2011 |work=The Register |access-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref> Later that year, IBM announced it was discontinuing the Lotus brand<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/ibm-drops-lotus-brand-takes-notes-and-domino-forward/ |title=IBM Drops Lotus Brand, Takes Notes and Domino Forward |author=Darryl K. Taft |date=November 17, 2012 |work=Eweek |access-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref> and on March 13, 2013, IBM announced the availability of IBM Notes and Domino 9.0 Social Edition,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=ca&infotype=an&appname=iSource&supplier=897&letternum=ENUS213-085 |title=IBM Notes and Domino 9.0 Social Edition puts you on a solid path to becoming a social business |date=March 12, 2013 |work=IBM United States Software Announcement 213-085 |publisher=IBM |access-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref> replacing prior versions of IBM Lotus Notes and IBM Lotus Domino and marking the end of Lotus as an active brand.

On December 6, 2018, IBM announced the selling of Lotus Software/Domino to HCL for $1.8 billion.<ref name="techcrunch.com"/>