Press release, April 13, 2007: “Google to Acquire DoubleClick – Combination Will Significantly Expand Opportunities for Advertisers, Agencies and Publishers and Improve Users’ Online Experience.”
Google Form 8-K, filed on April 18, 2007: Item 1.01 Entry Into a Material Definitive Agreement – “On April 13, 2007, Google Inc. (“Google” or the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google (“Sub”), and Click Holding Corp. (“DoubleClick”), a Delaware corporation, entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, Google will acquire DoubleClick by means of a merger of DoubleClick with and into Sub (the “Merger”), with DoubleClick continuing as the surviving corporation after the Merger.”
“EPIC, CDD and US PIRG today filed a complaint (pdf) with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urging the Commission to open an investigation into the proposed acquisition. The groups urged the FTC to assess the ability of Google to record, analyze, track, and profile the activities of Internet users with data that is both personally identifiable and data that is not personally identifiable. The groups further urged the FTC to require Google to publicly present a plan to comply with well-established government and industry privacy standards such as the OECD Privacy Guidelines. Pending the resolution of these and other issues, EPIC encouraged the FTC to halt the acquisition. See EPIC’s FTC Google Complaint
Doubleclick Statement Regarding Data Ownership, New York, 4/20/2007 – DoubleClick Inc., the premier provider of digital marketing and technology services, issued the following statement regarding data ownership. Since the announcement of Googles intention to acquire DoubleClick, several media reports have incorrectly suggested that data collected by the companys online display advertising technology could be used by Google, or combined with information owned by Google. This is simply not the case.Information collected by DoubleClick DART® ad serving technology belongs to DoubleClicks clients and not to DoubleClick. Any and all information collected by DoubleClick is, and will remain, the property of the companys clients. Ownership rights, like the other terms of DoubleClick’s client contracts, will be unaffected by any acquisition. Further, Google would not be able to match its search data to the data collected by DoubleClick, as DoubleClick does not have the right to use its clients’ data for such purposes. By contract, DoubleClick has only the limited rights to use data for its aggregate reporting and to disclose data, if so required, to government authorities.”
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