Google’s acquisition plan of DoubleClick was at first looked upon with a raised eyebrow when the offer was first made and, after that, all hell broke loose when it was accepted. Yahoo! and Microsoft instantly caught fire under their feet and started complaining, followed closely by AT&T. Their biggest concern was the fact that, by going through with the buyout, the Mountain View-based company would be dominant on the advertising market. Or, in their words, “monopolistic”.

Australia’s FTC looked pretty lightly over the case and then approved the acquisition, but in the United States the drama began and the soap opera started unfolding: despite it not being the point of contempt, one commissioner brought up the topic and dissented on privacy grounds. Nevertheless, the deal went through there, a few hurdles on the way, but it was finally there.

Europe’s next and this is where the main battle is to be fought by Google. If the US’ approval had some drama attached to it, there’s sure to be more on the Old Continent, as Pamela Jones Harbour, the respective opposing commissioner, will testify before the European Parliament committee on what she thought about civil liberties and the “scene” in the US.