Sen Kohl Urges Careful Review Of Google-ITA Deal

Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) urged the Justice Department to carefully review Google's proposed acquisition of ITA Software, which provides online travel search software.

Sen Kohl said in a letter to Christine Varney, assistant attorney general for antitrust, that while he has not taken a "position on the ultimate legality of this acquisition under the antitrust laws," he said it was important for Justice to examine the concerns raised by several online travel firms. "As an independent provider of air travel search functionality, ITA currently has the incentive to license its service broadly as it has done since its inception. However, the incentives could change if ITA is acquired by Google," Sen Kohl wrote. "Participants in the on-line travel industry are concerned that Google could refuse to make the key components of ITA software available on reasonable terms to other online travel industry participants by raising the price for a renewed license or refusing to license improvements to the software." Sen Kohl also urged the department "to obtain a consent decree to ensure that Google's promise is enforceable and implemented in good faith."