US Department of Justice clears acquisition of ITA Software by Google

US Department of Justice cleared Google's USD700 million acquisition of ITA Software, subject to certain concessions and conditions, which Google has reportedly agreed to (Dow Jones/Bloomberg, 10-Apr-2011). The proposed legal settlement requires Google to develop and license ITA's travel software to other companies. ITA provides software to several travel search providers, including Expedia, Kayak and Travelocity. Under the agreement, ITA customers will have their contracts extended to 2016 and new customers will be permitted to license ITA's QPX software on "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms" to 2016. Google also must offer ITA's next generation InstaSearch product to the sites. The agreement still requires approval of a US District Court.