EU Clears Google Bid for DoubleClick

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Source: Associated Press

EU clears Google bid for DoubleClick

By AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer
37 minutes ago

BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Union regulators cleared Google's $3.1 billion bid for online ad tracker DoubleClick on Tuesday, saying the acquisition won't curb competition for online ads.

The U.S. Department of Justice signed off on the deal in December, meaning Google has cleared its last major hurdle before acquiring DoubleClick.

Rivals Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp., as well as advertisers and privacy advocates, have sought to block the takeover, claiming Google Inc. would have too much control over the online ad market.

The European Commission dismissed those objections, saying it found no proof that Google and DoubleClick would be able to marginalize competitors because Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL provided "credible" alternatives for placing ads on Web sites.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080311/ap_on_hi_te/eu_google_doubleclick

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