Washington — The Department of Justice has joined multiple jurisdictions in allowing the Google FitBit deal to now move forward. US DOJ has been reviewing the merger since it was announced in November 2019 to see how it would impact consumers. Unless DoJ filed objections by January 13, the deal would be allowed to proceed.
The European Commission approved the merger in December, saying the legal commitments not to use health data in advertisements and to maintain the system’s interoperability would ensure an open and competitive ecosystem for wearable health devices.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President Matt Schruers:
“Closure of the Google-Fitbit transaction will add competition to the wearable health device market. This transaction stands to increase competition in wearables, which will benefit consumers on everything from prices to innovation.”
¨Following multiple reviews from multijurisdictional competition authorities including the US, Europe, Canada, and South Africa, among others, the Google-Fitbit deal will be able to close. We congratulate these leading antitrust authorities for converging in accurately assessing the facts of a transaction that will clearly benefit consumers, promote interoperability with other platforms, and bring more competition to the wearables sector.¨