Google, Justice Near Deal on ITA Acquisition

Google Inc. and the Justice Department are close to agreeing a legal settlement to avert a court challenge to the company’s $700 million acquisition of flight-data company ITA Software, according to people familiar with the matter.

Though it isn’t finalized, the proposed agreement would allow some government antitrust monitoring of its operations for the first time, potentially setting a benchmark for any future acquisitions by Google.

The settlement with the Justice Department over ITA could be just days away, the people familiar with the matter said, though the possible government shutdown at the end of this week might delay a final resolution.

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