Majoras, Google, DoubleClick mess
p2pnet news | Advertising:- “Summary: Jones Day is advising DoubleClick Inc., the digital marketing technology provider, on the international and U.S. antitrust and competition law aspects of its planned $3.1 billion acquisition by Google Inc. The proposed acquisition will combine DoubleClick’s expertise in ad management technology with Google’s internet search and content platform.
“The transaction is currently under review by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and European Commission.”
The above is a lift (ironically —- you’ll see why in a minute) from a Google cache.
The original was deleted.
How come?
Well, it seems like something a little unusual might have been happening in the background vis-Ã -vis the DoubleClick / Google wedding.
Says Online Media Daily:
Privacy advocates opposing the Google-DoubleClick merger alleged yesterday that the law firm Jones Day purged its Web site of references to its client DoubleClick shortly after the advocate groups asked FTC chair Deborah Platt Majoras [right] to recuse herself from considering the merger. On Wednesday, the Center for Digital Democracy and Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a petition asking Majoras to recuse herself from proceedings involving the $3.1 billion merger because her husband, John Majoras, is a partner in Jones Day. The merger has been pending pending before the FTC for eight months.
Posts Digital Daily:
Now why would Jones Day pull that page (and beyond that, why would it be so ignorant of the dangers of Google`s cache)? The firm says it was too ‘confusing.’ ‘The language in the posting apparently was confusing, since EPIC cites it as evidence JD is representing DC at the FTC, and we never have,’ Jones Day partner Joe Sims told News.com. ‘So we took it down and will rewrite it to eliminate the confusion’.
Ah. That explains it 
The FTC is currently reviewing the matter with its ethics officer, says the story.
But, no worries, apparently.
Adds Online Media Daily:
“On Thursday, financial services firm Stifel Nicolaus issued a report that stated that even if Deborah Platt Majoras removes herself from the decision, the FTC is still likely to approve the deal because at least two of the other four commissioners appear to support it.
“Probably the worst outcome for Google, in our view, would be a split FTC vote with strongly worded dissents from some commissioners,” the report said. “There might be an incentive on all sides to broker a consent decree containing some conditions that at least three commissioners and Google would agree to.”
Before her Bush appointment to head FTC and investigate excess oil profits, Majoras was at Jones Day law firm as point person for ChevronTexaco and Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root, notes Political Friendster, among other interesting observations.
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UPDATE @ 1:27 pm Pacific
Majoras today said she won’t remove herself from an antitrust review of Google Inc.’s purchase of online advertising company DoubleClick, rebuffing requests from privacy groups opposed to the transaction, says the New York Times.
She said shes reviewed a petition from the groups with the agency’s ethics official and other staff, and determined that ”the relevant laws and rules…neither require nor support recusal.”
Also See:
Online Media Daily – DoubleClick Law Firm Accused Of Concealing Involvement In Merger, December 14, 2007
Digital Daily – Damn You, Google Cache!, December 14, 2007
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