US regulators have approved Google's $12.5bn (£7.9bn) bid for phone
maker Motorola Mobility, hours after it won clearance from European
authorities.
The European Commission ruled the deal would not
raise competition issues in the market for operating systems for devices
like mobile phones or tablets.
Regulators in the US agreed, although both authorities vowed to monitor the company and rivals' use of patents.
Approval from China, Taiwan and Israel is needed before the deal is completed.
Motorola
split in two last year, prompting Google to bid for the section that
makes phones and tablet computers in a bid to gain access to more than
17,000 of Motorola Mobility's patents.
'Important milestone'
EU
Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a statement that
regulators did not think the deal would diminish competition.
But
he added: "The commission will continue to keep a close eye on the
behaviour of all market players in the sector, particularly the
increasingly strategic use of patents."
Last month, European
regulators launched an investigation into whether Samsung was using some
of its key patents to hinder competitors.
Google vice-president
Don Harrison said in a blog post the EU approval was an "important
milestone" which moved the company closer to closing the deal.
Android access
"As we outlined in August, the combination of Google and Motorola Mobility will help supercharge Android," he said.
"It will also enhance competition and offer consumers faster innovation, greater choice and wonderful user experiences."
The
European Commission had originally intended to rule on the deal by 10
January but delayed its decision after requesting more information.
It
wanted to examine whether Google might favour Motorola Mobility by
making it harder for big-selling handset manufacturers, like Samsung or
HTC, to use its Android operating system.
However, the commission
concluded: "It is unlikely that Google would restrict the use of Android
solely to Motorola, a minor player in the European Economic Area."
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