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EU Regulators Delay Google's Motorola Buy, Seeking More Info

judgecorp writes "The European Commission is delaying Google's proposed purchase of Motorola Mobility, saying it wants 'more infromation.' Europe may be nervous of the power the purchase will give Google in the mobile space."

12 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Dangerous delays by owlstead · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Although I am generally in favor of the government organizations checking on private companies (I think there is no such thing as a *fully* free market), I think the EU is sometimes overshooting their goal. It seems to me that there is no reason to disallow this deal. So generally what happens is just the delay, which can kill the value of the company that is being taken over. Sure, large take overs take time, but adding time to the deal in this fast paced sector can cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars really quick. Hopefully they will not take months (again) to validate the deal.

  2. Re:Wonder how much Apple paid the EU regulators... by icebraining · · Score: 2

    Google is incorporated in the EU too and they review all big mergers like this. You're talking nonsense.

  3. Open Android by linuxwolf69 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My question is, will they open the bootloader of the motorola phones that have been, or will be, released so that they have a truly open device?

    1. Re:Open Android by eric_brissette · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If they were to offer such a feature, I'm guessing they would also give carriers the option to disable it.

    2. Re:Open Android by mlts · · Score: 2

      I wouldn't mind seeing a device ship locked, but with fastboot oem unlock available. This way, there is at least a barrier against the Dancing Bunnies attack, where Joe Sixpack is at least likely to think twice if he has to download a package from Oracle, then one from Google, and after installing those, type some commands in a funny window in order to get some app to work.

      I'd love to see Motorola do like HTC and offer not just an open bootloader, but full ROM images ready to use for custom modding. Especially things like Webtop and such.

  4. Re:Wonder how much Apple paid the EU regulators... by oPless · · Score: 3, Informative

    This is probably why the EU is interested in the Google purchase of Motorola. The listing below are just the UK company details, I'm quite sure there's a Google and Motorola Solutions office in each EU member state. Just because the group head office is in the US doesn't remove the merger being scrutinised by non-US entities. One would think the you consider the USA is the centre of the world by your last comment...

    MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED
    JAYS CLOSE
    VIABLES IND EST
    BASINGSTOKE HANTS
    RG22 4PD
    Company No. 00912182

    And

    GOOGLE UK LIMITED
    BELGRAVE HOUSE
    76 BUCKINGHAM PALACE ROAD
    LONDON
    SW1W 9TQ
    Company No. 03977902

  5. Re:Wonder how much Apple paid the EU regulators... by jperl · · Score: 5, Informative

    Motorola Problems (opposite of Solutions) is a US company. Google is a US company.

    Why is the EU even getting involved at all? This has nothing to do with them, other than the fact that some of their lobbyists see Apple dollars and that hamstringing this merger would help keep Apple with the upper hand in this patent polka that all the phone companies are forced to play.

    Maybe the EU should look at other things like banks, and their problems.

    Google has officially asked the EU regulation commission on its statement to the merger.
    Even though the commission could not stop them from merging, there could be serious consequences after the merger in the EU member states.
    So it is in Google's best interest, to get an OK by the EU.

  6. Re:Wonder how much Apple paid the EU regulators... by oPless · · Score: 2

    Oh, I forgot ... EU Banks? Didn't the US banks kicked off this whole mess in the first place?

  7. Re:Wonder how much Apple paid the EU regulators... by Desler · · Score: 2

    Our instead of making up conspiracies you can notice how the article quotes Google that this is routine procedure.

  8. Re:Wonder how much Apple paid the EU regulators... by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 2

    All true, but Google isn't buying Motorola Solutions. They're getting the mobility version. It was a single company up until a year ago.

    --
    Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
  9. Let's be honest... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And you don't see the difference between a US regulatory agency looking into a merger between two American companies and an EU agency doing the same?

    Isn't it odd how people still believe a multinational corporation is "American" in spite of all of our previous discussions about how they have restructured themselves to minimize their US corporate taxes, spreading their assets and operations in different jurisdictions, and embedding their revenue gathering into many world markets?

    On the one hand, I don't feel that these corporations deserve a very protective stance by the American people, since they have clearly turned their backs on us and attempted to minimize their obligations to us. On the other hand, I also see that their future depends on their access to multiple world markets, so they would be foolish to take an isolationist stance with what is a strategic merger of assets and operations.

  10. Don't Understand? by andersh · · Score: 3, Interesting

    All of the companies mentioned operate in Europe, that makes it the EU's business. You clearly don't understand the situation.

    I'm assuming you're an American, it seems you have very strong feelings about "your" companies despite the fact that they operate abroad. They're incorporated in Europe. If they operate in the EU, they're subject to European laws. If you want to sell your products in Europe, you will be subject to our market regulations and laws.

    The same principle applies to European and other companies in other markets including the US. You're being very narrow minded and strongly nationalistic, yet your nation, the United States of America, is the strongest advocate of globalization and free trade.

    If you can't take the pain, don't play the game!

    As for your ludicrous claim that this has anything to do with Nokia, Europeans are not "Europeans" first and foremost. Nokia is a Finnish concern. There are few if any other European countries interested in what happens to a Finnish company. Did you even know that there are several other European cellphone makers? SonyEricsson of Sweden for example, and there are others.

    Your next suggestion would probably be "lobbyists", however the European equivalent of the US Congress, the European Parliament, doesn't really have that kind of power and neither do the lobbyists. We're not as corrupt as the US on a federal level, that remains on a national level.

    In the EU the national leaders are all naturally looking out for their own country's interests, the EU itself on the other hand cuts evenly and is only interested in fair competition regardless of your origin. The EU's competition authority and courts don't give a rats ass about your claims, they're vigilant and justly so, in the interest of the average European consumer.