Apple Inc. got approval from U.S. antitrust regulators to bid for the assets of bankrupt Nortel Networks Corp., according to an agency statement.

The Antitrust Division of the Justice Department reviewed Apple's request to bid for a number of Nortel patents, according to a person familiar with the situation who declined to be identified because the process isn't public.

While Apple has won a green light to participate in the bidding, the Antitrust Division will continue to review any anticompetitive issues that could arise once an agreement is made, the person told Bloomberg.

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Nortel, a Canadian phone-equipment maker that filed for bankruptcy in Wilmington, Del., in January 2009, agreed to sell the patents to Google Inc. for $900 million unless a competitor bids more at a June 27 auction. Nortel delayed the auction for a week, citing a "significant level of interest" in a June 16 statement.

SECURITY

S.F. man admits hacking AT&T

A San Francisco man pleaded guilty to hacking into AT&T Inc.'s computer servers to steal e-mail addresses and personal data about iPad users, federal prosecutors in New Jersey said.

Daniel Spitler, 26, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computers and to identity theft, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman in New Jersey said in a press release. Spitler and Andrew Auernheimer of Fayetteville, Ark., were charged in January with breaches that occurred last year. Charges are pending against Auernheimer.

Prosecutors in Newark, N.J., said in January that both men were associated with Goatse Security, "a loose association" of hackers and so-called trolls, or people who disrupt Internet service.

ENERGY

GE rewards 10 companies

General Electric Co., the world's largest maker of power-generation equipment, awarded $63 million to 10 closely held companies developing solar and renewable energy technologies.

Solar power companies, makers of communications equipment and software, and building efficiency developers were among those recognized in the second round of the $200 million contest, GE said Thursday.

GE plans to spend about $10 billion by 2015 developing environmentally friendly products across its businesses through its "ecomagination" program. The contest is being run in collaboration with the venture-capital firms Emerald Technology Ventures AG, Foundation Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and RockPort Capital Partners.

Winners in the latest round include San Francisco residential solar installer SunRun Inc.; Ember Resources Inc., a Boston software and communications provider; and Austin, Texas-based Nuventix Inc.

Awards were also given to companies that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, including VPhase Plc, based in Manchester, England; Project Frog Inc. in San Francisco; and solar installer GMZ Energy Inc. of Waltham, Mass. Communications companies Hara, On-Ramp Wireless Inc., Viridity Energy Inc. and WiTricity Corp were also winners.