EU investigate DoubleClick deal
European regulators have said that they will decide before November whether or not to allow Google’s $3.1 billion takeover of online advertising company DoubleClick.
An initial date of October 26th was set by the European Commission for the initial review period. But investigators have decided that they need more time to carry out a thorough analysis of the deal and its possible ramifications, and so have decided to extend this deadline.
Google’s main rivals, such as Yahoo, Microsoft and Time Warner have all been quick to express their concern over the possible deal - with all these firms stating that it would give Google a virtual monopoly in the internet advertising sector.
The EU’s decision will rest on whether online advertising is considered a distinct platform from other traditional forms of advertising hosts such as print, radio and television, say experts.
Data privacy advocates have also been quick to condemn the proposed takeover saying that it would give Google unprecedented control over personal information used in conjunction with pay-per-click ads and other forms of internet advertising.
