Microsoft Wins EU Approval for 5.44 Billion-Euro Nokia Deal
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Microsoft Corp. won European Union approval for its 5.44 billion-euro ($7.4 billion) bid to take over Nokia Oyj’s handset business as regulators warned that they would monitor Nokia’s licensing practices.
The European Commission said it “will remain vigilant and closely monitor Nokia’s post-merger licensing practices under EU antitrust rules,” according to an e-mailed statement. Any possible competition concerns over Nokia’s conduct as the owner of a portfolio of smartphone patents “falls outside the scope” of the EU’s review of the Microsoft transaction.