EU and US Approve Google-Motorola Deal

angry tapir writes "European regulators have given Google the green light to take over Motorola Mobility. The U.S. $12.5 billion deal faced strong opposition from open source and consumer rights advocates, including Consumer Watchdog, but the European Commission announced on Monday that the acquisition could go ahead, without conditions." Later in the day the DOJ announced an end to its investigation, greenlighting the acquisition in the U.S. as well.

Comments

Let the lawsuits begin!

[kilodelta]

And with Motorola Mobility it seems Google gets a nice little patent war chest. I can't wait until they sue Apple out of existence to be honest.

Re:Let the lawsuits begin!

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple isn't "an electronics maker". They design electronics, buy a lot of Samsung components and have poor Chinese people work 18 hours a day to assemble them.

Re:Let the lawsuits begin!

[Savage-Rabbit]

Apple isn't "an electronics maker". They design electronics, buy a lot of Samsung components and have poor Chinese people work 18 hours a day to assemble them.

Apple and every other company that outsourced it's production and assembly to places where they can get lots of cheap labour and can rely upon the local government to ignore corporate abuses and crack down hard with riot police, teargas, water-cannon and gestapoesque security services every the workers decide they have had enough and stage a protest. No matter how you turn it you are supporting worker abuse somewhere every time you go to the supermarket and buy something. Even if you only buy those "Fair trade" politically correct products, the cargo ship that brought those goods to your country was built by abused shipyard workers who work 16 hour per day 7 days a week to churn out ship hull components under totally miserable conditions and is crewed by Russian and Philippine sailors who don't even enjoy the minimum in safe and proper working conditions and it goes on from there.

Opposition from open source?

[Cstryon]

Correct me I'm wrong, as I'm not in the know, but wouldn't this be a plus for rom development on motorola droid phones?

Re:Opposition from open source?

[c0lo]

Seriously, guys, anyone that can provide some links that shows "strong opposition from open source"?

Re:Opposition from open source?

[stephanruby]

Correct me I'm wrong, as I'm not in the know, but wouldn't this be a plus for rom development on motorola droid phones?

It could.

With HTC officially unlocking its bootloaders and Samsung officially hiring the Cyanogen guy (and then encouraging him to continue doing his custom rom development on the side -- with a healthy salary and no strings attached), custom Android rom development is looking very promising all around.

Re:That's just a fad

[kelemvor4]

Apple has the most brand loyal customers on the planet

It's just a fad

Just like any other fads, this "Apple frenzy fad" will become stale, people will lose interest in Apple, once a new-kid-in-town with new fangle tricks appears

I used to say the same thing. Now I'm starting to think they've secured a niche as a status symbol. Much like Gucci or Prada handbags, many people buy apple because they want other people to see them walking around with that apple product. Have you seen vehicles with a white apple bumper sticker? I think the mere existence of such a thing is proof of this.

Consistent pattern, in fact

[Kupfernigk]

So, bloviating aside, you're saying Slashdot readers tend to oppose monopoly capitalism and support variety and individual rights? And that the European Competition Commission agrees with them?

Incidentally, over the next few years for much of the world outside the USA, the primary means of computing and access to networks will be a very small computer (phone or tablet) running a POSIX-compliant OS. Linux on the desktop is happening; it is just happening on the next evolution of the desktop.