EU Likely To Approve Google-DoubleClick Merger

January 23rd, 2008

Despite strong concerns about Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick, European Commission regulators are likely to approve the deal. The Mighty Google is taking over the world and it doesn’t matter what sort environmental site assessment you perform because they own you.

According to TopTechNews, a more direct indication is the fact that the EC has thus far failed to provide Google with a “statement of objections,” a document that officially lays out the agency’s objections to a merger. A lawyer representing a European company opposed to the deal conceded that it is “disappointing but true” that Google has not received such a document.

The FTC has also found no anti-trust issues as of yet:

“If they had serious doubts, we’re at the point where … if you don’t send [such a statement], you don’t have time to complete the case,” the lawyer told the Reuters news agency.

In declining to block the merger, the FTC said, “After carefully reviewing the evidence, we have concluded that Google’s proposed acquisition of DoubleClick is unlikely to substantially lessen competition.”