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EU clears Microsoft’s Skype bid
Microsoft has secured EU approval to purchase internet voice and video service Skype for $8.5bn (£5.5bn), its biggest ever acquisition. The European Commission said that its investigation of the takeover showed that the firms’ activities mainly overlapped for video communications, where Microsoft is active through its Windows Live Messenger. However, the Commission said it sees “no competition concerns in this growing market where numerous players, including Google, are present.” The US Federal Trade Commission cleared the deal in June.