The European Union has become the venue of choice for complainers, and it seems it could just derail Google's takeover of DoubleClick. According to The New York Times:
European regulators refused Tuesday to approve Google's $3.1 billion purchase of the Internet advertising company DoubleClick. They ordered a review of the deal amid opposition from rivals, publishers and consumer groups.
The European Commission, the administrative arm of the European Union, which rules on antitrust issues for the 27 member nations, said the merger raised concerns about competition and required a more thorough review of its effects on the Internet advertising business.
We don't yet know the American view -- from the Federal Trade Commission -- but the EC investigation is expected to lead to a decision on April 2, so the merger is probably off until then.
Even if the EC gives the deal a green light, the delay should benefit rivals such as Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL, though probably not much.
Whether it's possible to operate a global industry in a rational economic way if every major move has to be approved by regulators in the US, Europe, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Australia, Norway (add countries to taste) is open to conjecture.
However, since some American companies started resorting to the EC as a way of damaging other American companies -- thus making the views of the US Justice Department and the US Federal Trade Commission more or less superfluous -- it's a bit late to start complaining. It's just another result of the American preference for short-term tactics over long-term strategies.
