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A federal judge has cleared Google's acquisition of ITA Software, effectively putting the year-long story to rest.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Wilkins today approved the consent decree signed between the search giant and the U.S. Justice Department that paved the way for Google to acquire ITA Software. According to Bloomberg, which obtained a copy of the order, Wilkins approved the deal based on his belief that the safeguards in place to protect third-parties were enough to justify the acquisition.

In April, Google announced that it had signed a deal with the Justice Department, allowing it to … Read more

In what was a much more expedient process than many believed, Google's controversial plan to acquire travel search company ITA Software for $700 million is a done deal. After posting a blog entry on Friday that the deal was close to completion, Google added an update yesterday that said, "Our acquisition of ITA has now closed."

Google's announcement on Friday was that it had reached a settlement with the Department of Justice over regulator concerns that Google would have too much power by owning ITA Software, which provides its travel search technology to companies like Kayak, … Read more

Google has won regulatory approval for its $700 million deal to buy ITA Software, but the Justice Department intends to keep a close eye on the search giant.

The proposed settlement, which still must be approved by a federal judge, requires Google to continue licensing ITA's travel technology to rivals for five years on "reasonable and nondiscriminatory" terms. Some of those rivals, such as Kayak and Hotwire, formed FairSearch.org to oppose the deal.

While that provision was expected, the agency also required Google to forward to it any complaints the company receives from travel competitors upset … Read more

Google and the U.S. Department of Justice are said to be close to reaching a legal settlement over Google's intended $700 million acquisition of travel data company ITA Software, which was has been under scrutiny since the deal was announced last July.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," The Wall Street Journal reports that the proposal agreement, which would allow the purchase to go forward, is not finalized. That agreement, the Journal says, also lets the government keep an eye on Google for antitrust activities and could be made within days.

From the get-go, the proposed … Read more

Google could find itself the target of two separate antitrust probes launched by Ohio and Wisconsin, according to a story published today by Bloomberg.

Concerned over the search giant's business practices, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is "evaluating the facts to determine if it's something we want to review," his spokesman Dan Tierney told Bloomberg.

Tierney confirmed the information to CNET, saying that the attorney general's office is "reviewing the facts regarding the matter to determine if there's any action that needs to be taken."

Asked if the attorney general is looking … Read more

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Google purchases a company called eBook Technologies

However, Google's planned acquisition of ITA Software is under scrutiny from federal antitrust officials

AT&T will allow tethering on two upcoming 4G phones and may allow it on the iPhone as well

Fujitsu is set to launch the first glasses-free 3D desktop PC

News Corp.'s iPad magazine, The Daily, has been delayed

Google Translate for Android can help you have a bilingual conversation in real time

A new spyware program is parading as a Kama Sutra how-to guide

A man is suing … Read more

The U.S. Department of Justice is gearing up for a possible formal antitrust investigation into whether or not Google should be allowed to purchase travel software company ITA Software, according to a report.

Bloomberg reported today that DOJ lawyers have been asked to start getting ready for a possible challenge to the deal, which was first announced last summer. Such a challenge has seemed inevitable, as following completion of the deal Google would be in a position to control software that powers the reservations systems for many of the online travel booking agencies.

Google has said it plans to … Read more

Travelocity, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Sabre Holdings, and several other online travel companies have created the FairSearch.org coalition to try to block Google's acquisition of ITA Software.

In a blog post announcing its launch, FairSearch said that Google "presents a threat to competition and transparency in online travel search, and could lead to higher travel prices and less choice for consumers."

Back in July, Google announced that it intended to acquire ITA for $700 million. The search giant said at the time that ITA, which collects flight, seating, and pricing data from airlines and provides them to online … Read more

Google is facing regulatory challenges from the Justice Department over its proposed purchase of online travel firm ITA Software.

The search giant must obtain government approval of its $700 million deal announced in early July to buy ITA Software, which helps travelers find cheaper airfares through relationships with major carriers, travel agencies, and travel search engines. Google wants to incorporate ITA's technology into its own search engine to make it easier for people to find tickets directly through Google.

But the Justice Department is concerned that a Google-owned ITA could give Google too much control over the online travel … Read more