The United States Department of Justice has approved Google’s proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, Reuters’s Poornima Gupta reports. The deal gained regulatory approval from the European Commission earlier on Monday, and a U.S. approval was expected to follow today or later this week. Google revealed its intention to purchase Motorola Mobility late last summer, pointing to the potential to create cohesive end-to-end solutions as one of the main draws for Google. “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies,” Google CEO Larry Page said in a statement at the time. “Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.” Page also said that Motorola’s sizable patent portfolio would help Google protect itself and its partners from rivals with aggressive litigation strategies like Apple and Microsoft.

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