Google offers concessions in fresh bid to win EU okay for Fitbit deal
Reuters
Published Sep 29, 2020 06:21AM ET
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Alphabet (O:GOOGL) unit Google has offered concessions for a second time in a bid to address EU antitrust regulators' concerns about its bid for fitness tracker maker Fitbit (N:FIT), a European Commission filing showed on Tuesday.
The Commission, which is scheduled to decide on the deal by Dec. 23, did not publish details of the concessions in line with its policy.
The EU competition enforcer will now seek feedback from rivals and customers before deciding whether to accept the concessions, demand more, or either clear or block the detail.
Last month, it rejected Google's pledge not to use the fitness tracker's data for advertising purposes in a bid to address competition concerns, saying that it was insufficient.
The Commission recently asked Google rivals and customers about interoperability issues, what technical steps the company could take to foreclose competition to Fitbit to increase its sales, and how incentives could prompt it to do so, according to a person familiar with the matter.
It also asked about issues related to digital healthcare and the kind of data Google needs and where they could acquire it, the person said, suggesting concessions may be needed in these two areas.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.