European regulators reported set to OK Google-Motorola deal
Reuters reports that the European Union will approved the $12.5 billion acquisition without any conditions on Monday.
That could coincide with the timing of U.S. regulators okaying the deal. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department would likely approve the $12.5 billion acquisition next week.
The Reuter's article, citing "two people with knowledge of the matter," reported that the European Union's approval would be "unconditional." Rivals had been pushing for restrictions to prevent Google from unfairly promoting its products.
Last month, European regulators set next Monday as the date that it would decide the matter. The date is a month later than the commission had originally planned, a delay caused by regulators seeking more time to review additional documents that Google had submitted to support the deal.
Google announced its plans to buy Motorola last August. While Google makes Android, the mobile operating system used on Motorola's phones, the company had never before been in the hardware business. The deal was driven in large part by Google's interest in beefing up its relatively meager patent portfolio with Motorola's trove of intellectual property.
Google intends to run Motorola as a separate company. Motorola has said that it expects the deal to close early this year.