14 DAY TRIAL // Google's acquisition plan of DoubleClick was at first looked upon with a raised eyebrow when the offer was first made and, after that, all hell broke loose when it was accepted. Yahoo! and Microsoft instantly caught fire under their feet and started complaining, followed closely by AT&T. Their biggest concern was the fact that, by going through with the buyout, the Mountain View-based company would be dominant on the advertising market. Or, in their words, "monopolistic".
Australia's FTC looked pretty lightly over the case and then approved the acquisition, but in the United States the drama began and the soap opera started unfolding: despite it not being the point of contempt, one commissioner brought up the topic and dissented on privacy grounds. Nevertheless, the deal went through there, a few hurdles on the way, but it was finally there.
Europe's next and this is where the main battle is to be fought by Google. If the US' approval had some drama attached to it, there's sure to be more on the Old Continent, as Pamela Jones Harbour, the respective opposing commissioner, will testify before the European Parliament committee on what she thought about civil liberties and the "scene" in the US.
The only notable difference is that the Europeans are looking a lot more determined to be as inquisitive as they can be. The laws there are a lot more flexible when it comes to the legality of the acquisition, because consumer privacy seems to be valued more than in the United States. Some conditions might be forced upon Google, if they are to let the deal slide, and the Mountain View-based company must prepare its case well and take into consideration each and every concession it might be forced to accept by the April ruling. It's not a "best out of three" type of thing, it's all or it's none.