Older soil foretells the
future of online advertising

As the celebration of winning the FTC's approval dies down, Google now looks to win the blessing of European regulators, reports The Financial Times.

European officials said they will make a decision on the company's acquisition of DoubleClick early next year. But this new front brings with it a new set of opportunities for critics of the merger to make their cases.

Privacy groups will be out in force to quash the deal. A different cultural attitude on the issue may assist their efforts.

Advocates of marketplace competition may also argue that European market conditions cannot support the same degree of competition as is possible in the US.

The latter will likely be the main issue of concern to regulators, since it most clearly falls under their jurisdiction and guidelines for review.