Sony's takeover over of Ericsson's stake in their decade-long joint venture is well underway.
A nod from the European Commission this week removes one more impediment for Sony to dissolve its mobile partnership with Ericsson and assume full control.
Sony announced the $1.47 billion deal in October 2011 as part of a bid to more tightly steer the company's "four-screen strategy," which includes smartphones.
At CES earlier this month, Sony revealed several Android smartphones bearing its name, including the Sony Xperia S and Sony Xperia Ion.
With this hurdle out of its way, Sony is one step closer to acquiring--and then dissolving--the Sony Ericsson brand.