acquisitions

T-Mobile asks FCC to block spectrum sale to Verizon

T-Mobile is not too pleased with a plan Verizon Wireless has hatched to acquire nearly $4 billion in wireless spectrum.

According to The Washington Post, which obtained the documents, T-Mobile lodged a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission yesterday, urging the government agency to block the sale of wireless spectrum from Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks--collectively known as SpectrumCo.--to Verizon.

According to the Post, T-Mobile believes the sale could provide Verizon with an "excessive concentration" of wireless spectrum.

Verizon announced plans to acquire the so-called Advance Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum in December. If the … Read more

Google gets EU approval to buy Motorola

The European Union's regulatory body has unconditionally approved Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility in a deal that could be worth about $12.5 billion.

The European Commission also said today it would monitor Google's and its rivals' use of patents to make sure that the deal complies with EU antitrust rules.

"We have approved the acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google because, upon careful examination, this transaction does not itself raise competition issues," Joaquín Almunia, Commission vice president in charge of competition policy, said in a statement. "Of course, the Commission will … Read more

European regulators reported set to OK Google-Motorola deal

European regulators are set to approve Google's plans to acquire Motorola Mobility Monday, according to Reuters.

That could coincide with the timing of U.S. regulators okaying the deal. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department would likely approve the $12.5 billion acquisition next week.

The Reuter's article, citing "two people with knowledge of the matter," reported that the European Union's approval would be "unconditional." Rivals had been pushing for restrictions to prevent Google from unfairly promoting its products.

Last month, European regulators set next Monday as the date that it would decide … Read more

LinkedIn rumored to buy browser plugin Rapportive

The browser plugin Rapportive, which lets users check their social networks within Gmail and Google Apps, is rumored to have been acquired by LinkedIn, according to AllThingsD.

"Sources familiar with the negotiations said LinkedIn offered Rapportive 'low teens' of millions of dollars worth of cash," writes AllThingsD. "The deal has not officially closed yet."

The way Rapportive works is it grabs data from social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and lets users view what's going on in a sidebar next to their e-mail inbox. Rapportive also has its own social network based on users' … Read more

Browser theme creator Brand Thunder acquires rival

Fancy a Shakira-themed browser?

As of today, you can get it from Brand Thunder, a company that creates themes to let people reskin their browsers to declare allegiance to bands, colleges, sports teams, and more. That's because Brand Thunder just acquired its biggest rival, BrowserNation.

The acquisition means Brand Thunder has 25 percent more brands to tout, the company said today, giving it more clients in Europe and Asia and giving it a foothold in Latin America. Among its new clients are EMI, UMG Latin, and Epic Records.

"Given the changes in the once-stable browser market, it makes … Read more

Samsung: We never considered buying RIM--and never will

Samsung yesterday sternly rejected a recent report claiming it was in talks with Research In Motion to possibly buy all or part of the handset maker.

Speaking to Reuters, Samsung spokesman James Chung said that his company has not "considered acquiring" RIM and is "not interested" in buying the BlackBerry maker. He added that neither company approached the other to try to create an acquisition deal.

Mobile blog Boy Genius Report cited sources yesterday, claiming that Samsung and RIM were in talks and that the companies were nearing an acquisition deal. One of the blog's … Read more

Corel acquiring Roxio line as old guard consolidates

Corel has agreed to acquire Roxio from Rovi, consolidating companies from an earlier era in the software industry.

Corel sells graphics programs, including the new AfterShot Pro it obtained with the recent acquisition of Bibble Labs, and the WordPerfect Office line. To that it plans to add Roxio's products for tasks including burning DVDs, recording videos of video game play, encrypting USB drives, transferring VHS tapes to DVDs, and playing DVDs.

"On the digital media side, we will have a full-blown multimedia suite and a new offering on the Mac platform. For WinZip, we will be able to … Read more

Fab.com aims to get more fabulous with FashionStake buy

Fab.com, a design-focused e-commerce site that's growing by leaps and bounds, acquired online independent fashion marketplace FashionStake for an undisclosed sum.

FashionStake carved out a niche for itself in the e-commerce world by allowing independent fashion designers to sell their goods on the site, rather than gambling on getting products into name-brand stores can be difficult to crack. According to FashionStake's Web site, it offers products from 240 designers in 16 countries around the world.

Fab.com was one of the more surprising Web standouts last year. Since launching its site in June 2011, the company has … Read more

RIM hires Goldman Sachs to field buyout offers?

Talk of Research In Motion being acquired just won't go away. But this time, it might be RIM's fault.

The BlackBerry maker has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs to help it field potential buyout offers, according to the rumor mill on the Wall Street trading floor. According to Reuters, one unidentified trader said yesterday that RIM is "up on Goldman," but cautioned that it doesn't mean a sale is coming anytime soon.

Even so, all that speculation was enough to see RIM's shares jump over 5 percent yesterday to settle at $16.44. It … Read more