BRUSSELS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - U.S. software company Oracle won unconditional European Union regulatory approval on Thursday for its $7 billion acquisition of computer maker Sun Microsystems.
World No. 2 business software maker Oracle had in August last year received the green light from the U.S. Department of Justice for its takeover of Sun, developer of Java software, among the world's most widely used computer languages.
The European Commission started an in-depth investigation of the deal in September, citing concerns about the competition impact on Sun's MySQL database.
'I am now satisfied that competition and innovation will be preserved on all the markets concerned. Oracle's acquisition of Sun has the potential to revitalise important assets and create new and innovative products,' EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Dale Hudson) Keywords: SUN ORACLE/EU (foo.yunchee@thomsonreuters.com; tel +32 2 287 6844; Reuters Messaging: foo.yunchee.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
World No. 2 business software maker Oracle had in August last year received the green light from the U.S. Department of Justice for its takeover of Sun, developer of Java software, among the world's most widely used computer languages.
The European Commission started an in-depth investigation of the deal in September, citing concerns about the competition impact on Sun's MySQL database.
'I am now satisfied that competition and innovation will be preserved on all the markets concerned. Oracle's acquisition of Sun has the potential to revitalise important assets and create new and innovative products,' EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Dale Hudson) Keywords: SUN ORACLE/EU (foo.yunchee@thomsonreuters.com; tel +32 2 287 6844; Reuters Messaging: foo.yunchee.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
