Techmeme: Justice Department Requires Google Inc. to Develop and License Travel Software in Order to Proceed … (The United States Department of Justice)

8:35 PM ET, April 8, 2011

Top Items:

ITA Software acquisition cleared for takeoff — How cool would it be if you could type “flights to somewhere sunny for under $500 in May” into Google and get not just a set of links but also flight times, fares and a link to sites where you can actually buy tickets quickly and easily?

Discussion: The Register, Computerworld, Tnooz, Googling Google Blog, TG Daily, Google, Digital Trends, ReadWriteWeb, 901am, Hillicon Valley, CNET News, SAI, Tech Trader Daily, Techie Buzz and WebProNews

The United States Department of Justice:

Justice Department Requires Google Inc. to Develop and License Travel Software in Order to Proceed with Its Acquisition of ITA Software Inc. … WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice announced today that in order for Google Inc. to proceed with its proposed acquisition of ITA Software Inc. …

Joe Mullin / paidContent:
Why Google's Opponents Are OK With The ITA Merger

Discussion: Search Engine Land

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
DOJ Willing To Approve Google's $700M ITA Deal, With Conditions

Discussion: NEWS.com.au, BetaNews, PC World, Ars Technica, Reuters, Mercury News, I4U News, SlashGear, MediaPost, Bloomberg, NBC Bay Area, Tnooz, The Next Web and WebProNews

Jacques Hebert / YouTube Blog:

YouTube is going LIVE — With over 2 billion views a day, it's easy to think about YouTube as a place to watch videos recorded in the past. But you've told us you want more - and that includes events taking place right now. In response, we've live streamed a number of popular concerts …

Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:
YouTube Finally Launches Live Streaming Portal to Select Partners

Discussion: Digits, BGR and NBC Bay Area

Jessica Guynn / L.A. Times Tech Blog:

Exclusive: Google CEO Larry Page completes major reorganization of Internet search giant — Larry Page, who returned as chief executive of Google on Monday, put his stamp on how he will run the Internet giant with a major reorganization of his management team on Thursday.

Matt Rosoff / SAI: Silicon Alley Insider:

Marissa Mayer Bypassed As Google Appoints New Head Of Local And Commerce — Last fall, Google's Marissa Mayer was removed from leading search — its core business — to head up the company's local efforts. — At the time, Googlers debated whether it was a demotion or a lateral move …

Discussion: NetworkEffect, PE Hub Blog and The Business Insider

John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:
PageYank: As New SVPs Are Born at Google in CEO Reorg, What Happens to the Old Ones?

Discussion: Tech and China

Georgina Prodhan / Reuters:

Steve Wozniak says would consider return to Apple — (Reuters) - Steve Wozniak would consider returning to an active role at Apple, the company he co-founded, and believes the consumer electronics giant could afford to be more open than it is, he told Reuters.

Discussion: MediaFile, The Register, VentureBeat, CNET News, IntoMobile, TechSpot, Epicenter, WebProNews, The Huffington Post, NBC Bay Area and Shiny Objects

Rob Lewis / Techvibes:

Toronto's Pushlife acquired by Google for $25 Million — StartupNorth just reported that Toronto's PushLife has been acquired by Google for a reported $25 Million. The news was first tweaked by fellow Mantella portfolio company Chango. — PushLife is a Mobile Entertainment Platform …

Discussion: StartupNorth, SAI, NewsGrange and TechCrunch

John Biggs / TechCrunch:

What, Zuck Worry? Mad Magazine “Honors” Mark Zuckerberg With His Own Cover — Mark Zuckerberg has finally joined the ranks of Richard Nixon, Bart Simpson, Barack Obama, and Thom Yorke, all folks who have been honored as some of the few celebrities to grace the cover of everyone's favorite potrzebie title, Mad Magazine.

Discussion: Global Nerdy and NBC Bay Area

Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:

The day Fred Wilson dumped AAPL — The VC at the center of an Android vs. iOS debate bet publicly against Apple two years ago — “I am selling my entire position in Apple this morning including the stock I bought earlier than last fall. My average price on my entire position in Apple is $96 …

Discussion: PC World, @fredwilson, @fredwilson, WebProNews and 5by5 Master Audio Feed

Ina Fried / Mobilized:

Apple Says It's Investigating Verizon iPad 3G Issues — Apple said on Friday that it is looking into reports that some users are having issues connecting their iPad 2 to Verizon's network. — “We are aware that a small number of iPad 2 customers have experienced connectivity issues …

Discussion: CNET News, AppleInsider, Digits, Computerworld, LAPTOP Magazine, The Register, CrunchGear, GottaBeMobile, Gizmodo, TiPb, Crave, The Huffington Post, Electronista, DSLreports, MacNN and The Atlantic Online

Dan Primack / Fortune:

Mary Shapiro's letter on private company stock sales — Earlier today, we discussed a WSJ story that federal regulators may relax certain rules on share issuance by private companies. The article was prompted by a letter from SEC chair Mary Shapiro to Rep. Darryl Issa (R-CA) …

Discussion: CNNMoney.com

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry / SAI:
Technology IPOs: SEC Might Raise Shareholder Limit

Discussion: Venture Capital Dispatch, All Facebook, Mashable!, Fortune, Fast Company, SiliconANGLE, @tedr, GMSV, DealBook, NBC Bay Area and Felix Salmon

Fred / A VC:
The SEC and Private Markets

Discussion: VatorNews, Wall Street Journal, Betabeat, Venture Capital Dispatch, PE Hub Blog, GeekWire and Business Week

Kai Lukoff / TechRice:

Blockbuster Rumor: Facebook Partners with Baidu to Enter China — The internets are ablaze tonight with a blockbuster rumor: Facebook will enter China. Marbridge Consulting reports: According to a microblog post by Hu Yanping, founder of Beijing-based market research firm Data Center of the China Internet …

Discussion: All Facebook, Inside Facebook, Marbridge Consulting, Mashable!, @niubi, @niubi, WWWery and @christinelu

Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
From The Rumor Mill: Facebook Plans To Enter China Through Major Partnership(s)

Discussion: Thomas Crampton, TechRice, NBC Bay Area, Fast Company, Reuters, Neowin.net and Digital East Asia

Long Zheng / istartedsomething:

Windows 8 to feature native SmartScreen file checking — As Microsoft anticipates a richer “apps” ecosystem for Windows 8, they appear to be taking some extra steps to shield users from malicious applications with the introduction of an in-built file verification policy powered by the SmartScreen Filter.

Discussion: Electronista, TechSpot, gHacks Technology News, Softpedia News, The Next Web, Windows 8 News, Hardware 2.0 Blog, Neowin.net and Windows 8 Beta

Todd Haselton / BGR:

Verizon Wireless to eliminate one-year contract option on April 17th — Verizon Wireless has confirmed to BGR that it will eliminate the option to sign on for a 1-year contract beginning on April 17th. “The reason behind the change is the greater majority of customers sign up for a 2 year contract …

Discussion: Gadget University, Engadget, Techland, MobileCrunch, MobileWhack and GeekSugar

Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:

I Won't Use Flickr Until They Release My Photo Hostages — Freemium business models are always hard. You have to give users enough for free that they try your service out and get hooked. Then you hit them with fees for upgraded features that make it even better.

Agence France Presse:

Russian security service ‘wants to ban Skype, Gmail’ — MOSCOW — The Russian security service is proposing to ban Skype, Hotmail, and Gmail as their “uncontrolled use” may threaten Russia's security, a service official said during a government meeting on Friday.

Discussion: Reuters, The Next Web, Electronista and Inquirer

BBC:
Russia's President Medvedev denounces cyber-attack

Discussion: PC Magazine, WebProNews, techPresident, The Register, Reuters, ONI, Inquirer and TechEye

Edward Wyatt / New York Times:

House Votes Against ‘Net Neutrality’ — WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives approved a measure on Friday that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from regulating how Internet service providers manage their broadband networks, potentially overturning a central initiative of the F.C.C. chairman Julius Genachowski.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Epicenter, Betabeat, Reuters and Gawker

Ryan Paul / Ars Technica:

Android chief Rubin's response to Android critics misses the point — Android chief Andy Rubin has finally issued a statement in response to recent reports regarding Android's deteriorating openness. He characterizes the media reports as “misinformation” and says that he is speaking up …

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