Acquisitions Posts
Google’s Travel Empire Swells, Raises Questions
Monday, August 13th, 2012
Google has entered into an agreement to buy travel book guide Frommer’s, according to CNET. The purchase follows the search giant’s previous acquisitions of restaurant-review firm Zagat and ITA Software, which allowed Google to create Google Flight Search after a lengthy regulatory review. Not surprisingly, it appears Google is making such purchases to prolifically populate Read more »
Google Modifies Flight Search; Adds Orbitz, Excludes Other Online Travel Agencies
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
News out of the Googleplex this morning: Flight Search will now include online travel agencies Orbitz. As you remember, during the Department of Justice’s review of Google’s acquisition of ITA Software, Google promised that it would be “driving more potential customers to airlines and online travel agencies’ websites.” Then the initial Flight Search product came Read more »
Google’s Effort to Minimize Concerns on Motorola Mobility Bear Close Watch
Thursday, February 9th, 2012
Since Google controls more than 79% of all searches in the U.S. and more than 90% of all searches in Europe, any deal the company makes is rightly the focus of attention from antitrust enforcers. We’ve come to expect Google to downplay the impact any deal will have on competition and make promises to play Read more »
Checking in on Google Flight Search
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
During the lengthy antitrust review of Google’s acquisition of ITA Software, Google promised that “the acquisition will benefit passengers, airlines and online travel agents by making it easier for users to comparison shop for flights and airfares and by driving more potential customers to airlines and online travel agencies’ websites.” Needless to say, when Google Read more »
Google Built Google for… Airlines?
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Google’s at it again – giving its own products and services preferential treatment by placing them over organic search results. The latest evidence? Just try doing a flight-related search, and watch as advertisements and Google Flight Search now dominate the page (often pushing organic results more than half-way down the screen). Yesterday’s Travel Weekly article, Read more »
Approval for Admeld Deal Could Make Google Another Category Killer
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
As the Federal Trade Commission continues its investigation into allegations that Google is abusing its monopoly power to the detriment of consumers and innovation, another agency appears poised to approve Google’s latest step toward global domination of the Internet, according to a report by AllThingsD. The anonymously sourced online story says the Justice Department is Read more »
Google’s Acquisition of Motorola Mobility Gets Rare Second Review by Justice Department
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Department of Justice has slowed Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility with a rare second request for information. Last month, Google announced it was acquiring Motorola Mobility Holdings for $12.5 billion, its biggest acquisition to date. With this acquisition, Google will gain direct control over the maker of many Read more »
In Travel Search, The Other Shoe Drops
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
Today, Google announced the launch of its flight search product based on the ITA Software technology that it acquired earlier this year. This announcement raises a lot of questions, such as: Will partners be coerced into working with Google Travel? (a la this blog post about the Forbes article, “Stick Google Plus Buttons On Your Read more »
Google Gobbles up Zagat (VIDEO)
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
Breaking news from The Wall Street Journal, Google has bought restaurant-review firm Zagat. What’s Google thinking? Google has been looking for ways to expand as a content provider into local search. Last week, Google was promoting its Google Offers product ahead of competitors’ on its home page. This week it is acquiring a major industry Read more »
The FairSearch Guide to the Senate Hearing on “The Power of Google” (UPDATED)
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
THE AFTERMATH Today’s Senate Antitrust Subcommittee hearing confirms that concerns about Google’s business practices are real and there is strong support for a rigorous investigation. A bipartisan chorus made clear: Just because Eric Schmidt says “he gets it,” doesn’t mean he gets away with it. Despite acknowledging Google’s monopoly power, Schmidt evaded questions about Google’s Read more »
