The Justice Department has approved Google Inc.'s proposed $700-million purchase of travel data company ITA Software Inc., with some strings attached.
To acquire ITA, which develops online flight and reservation software for airline companies, Google must adhere to certain requirements intended to ensure competition in the field, according to a proposed settlement announced Friday by the Justice Department.
On the same day the settlement was announced, the Justice Department's antitrust division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington to block the proposed acquisition. If the settlement is approved by the court, the department said, it would resolve the concerns of the lawsuit.
The settlement is meant to ensure that airlines using ITA software "will be able to power their websites to compete against any airfare website Google may introduce," the Justice Department said.
