The lights may be on this weekend at Lenovo’s Morrisville headquarters this Easter weekend.

U.S. legislation that slaps stiff restrictions on government purchases of IT equipment “produced, manufactured or assembled” by companies linked to the Chinese government is being studied by Lenovo, a spokesperson for the world’s No. 2 PC manufacturer tells WRALTechWire.

Lenovo also is warning that IT firms “from all around the world” could be affected.

“We are aware of the bill and are of course reviewing the specific language,” said Milanka Muecke, who leads North American media relations at Lenovo.

“Depending on how the language is interpreted, it could in fact apply very broadly to many companies across the IT industry from all around the world.”

Lenovo is not unfamiliar with government disputes, having been barred from sales to the U.S. State Department if the machines would be used for sensitive matters. That dispute dates to 2006, shortly after Lenovo acquired IBM’s PC business, which was largely based in the Triangle.

But China has also exercised a heavy hand of Lenovo and other firms, requiring filtering software to screen out material the government deemed subversive as part of the so-called “Great Firewall of China.”

Muecke said Lenovo plans to be successful in growing its U.S. federal business despite the dust-up.

“Lenovo is confident not only in our products, but also in the relationships we have with major customers in the public and private sectors,” she explained.

“We are a global company and have always met and exceeded government regulations in the 100+ countries in which we do business. So we are very confident and comfortable that we will continue to be very successful in growing our business in the U.S. even as we and all of our competitors navigate new regulations.”

Lenovo declares on its website: “Find leading federal government computing solutions including laptop, desktop and tablet computers, servers and more. Call for details … Our experience in the Federal sector has taught us to expect the unexpected …”

The new crisis was disclosed by lawyer Stewart A. Baker, a former assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security in the George W. Bush administration.

Regarding legislation raising concerns about China, Baker points out in a blog:

“This could turn out to be a harsh blow for companies like Lenovo that have so far escaped the spotlight trained on Huawei and ZTE. But it may also bring some surprises for American companies selling commercial IT gear to the government. It’s not clear that they even know which of their suppliers and assemblers are directed or subsidized by the Chinese government. Where the IT system is manufactured doesn’t answer the question; sanctions will depend not on where the system is made but on whether the company that supplies it is tainted by close ties to China’s government.”

[LENOVO ARCHIVE: Check out eight years of Lenovo stories as reported in WRAL Tech Wire.]