The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will not try to block Google Inc.’s acquisition of online ad-serving vendor DoubleClick Inc., the agency said today.The commission voted 4-1 to approve the deal after an eight-month investigation. “After carefully reviewing the evidence, we have concluded that Google’s proposed acquisition of DoubleClick is unlikely to substantially lessen competition,” the majority wrote in a statement.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9053726Also see:Privacy groups say Google-DoubleClick merger will hurt consumers
Google Inc.’s pending $3.1 billion acquisition of online ad-serving vendor DoubleClick Inc. will hurt consumers, according to two privacy groups opposed to the wholesale approval of the deal.The responses came after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission voted 4-to-1 today to approve the deal, saying Google’s proposed acquisition of DoubleClick is unlikely to substantially lessen competition.In the wake of its decision, the FTC also proposed new principles to address important consumer privacy concerns associated with online behavioral advertising.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9053804Q&A: Rotenberg fears Internet ‘privacy meltdown’ from Google-DoubleClick combo
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said today that it won’t try to block Google Inc.’s planned acquisition of online ad-serving vendor DoubleClick Inc., or seek to impose any privacy protection requirements in return for allowing the $3.1 billion deal to go through. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) was one of three privacy groups that previously had filed a petition asking the FTC to put a stop to the acquisition unless Google made significant changes to its data privacy policy. In an interview with Computerworld that was conducted before the FTC announced its decision, Marc Rotenberg, executive director of Washington-based EPIC, contended that the combination of Google and DoubleClick would give the search engine giant “the deepest and broadest profile of Internet users of any company in the world” — with virtually no legal limits on how it could use that data. Excerpts from the interview follow:
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9053799U.S. approves Google-DoubleClick takeover
The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday that it had cleared Google’s proposed takeover of DoubleClick, the digital marketing company, saying that the deal was “unlikely to substantially lessen competition” in the Internet advertising realm.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/12/20/technology/google.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/business/21adco.htmlFTC approves Google deal despite privacy concerns
In approving Google Inc.’s $3.1-billion purchase of DoubleClick Inc. on Thursday, federal regulators determined that there was plenty of competition in the fast-growing Internet advertising world.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-google21dec21,1,6523727.storyFTC allows Google-DoubleClick merger to proceed
In a 4-1 vote, regulators give their blessing to the controversial union, despite outcry from competitors and privacy advocates.The Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday that Google’s controversial $3.1 billion merger proposal with DoubleClick can proceed, despite earlier complaints raised by competitors and privacy advocates.FTC regulators had been reviewing the proposed merger for eight months for possible antitrust violations, after Google announced plans in April to acquire the online ad-serving company. The commission, in issuing its decision to let the merger move forward, said the companies are not direct competitors in any relevant market.
http://www.news.com/2100-1024_3-6223631.html
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6223631.htmlUS Regulators OK Google-DoubleClick Deal [AP]
With U.S. antitrust clearance for its DoubleClick purchase, Google’s focus now turns to European regulators, who are expected to be more critical of the top search engine linking up with a market leader in online advertising.The proposed $3.1 billion transaction, which is strongly opposed by privacy advocates, cannot be completed without approval from the European Commission, whose review deadline is April 2.The Federal Trade Commission said that the deal won’t significantly lessen competition in the online advertising market, rebuffing complaints from Microsoft Corp. and AT&T Inc. that it would give Google a dominant position.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GOOGLE_DOUBLECLICK_ANTITRUST?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-12-20-17-15-42FTC Blesses Google-DoubleClick Union Despite Privacy Furor
Google received an early holiday present from federal regulators Thursday, as the FTC granted a wish the search giant has had on its list since April — approval to complete its purchase of interactive advertising agency DoubleClick. The FTC approved the deal after its investigation found that Google’s $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick would be “unlikely to substantially lessen competition,” as some rivals had argued.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/FTC-Blesses-Google-DoubleClick-Union-Despite-Privacy-Furor-60874.html