Motorola sees 99pc vote for Google merger

Motorola's shareholders at a special meeting approved the company's acquisition by Google. The outcome, while expected, saw 99 percent of those at the meeting vote in favor. With guests at the meeting representing 74 percent of Motorola's total shares, it was clear there was "strong support" for the deal, CEO Sanjay Jha said.

Closure is still expected sometime in early 2012, though not guaranteed, Motorola outlined.

The deal, worth $12.5 billion, is still waiting on government approval and faces a much larger hurdle. Google is already being investigated by the FTC over possible antitrust abuses of its dominance in search to squeeze out other search engines, including on Android and the iPhone. It has so far claimed that its nature doesn't force anyone to stay on its search engine and has tried to use Apple's Siri as proof of competition in the search space.

The buyout has gone on to raise suspicions that Google may start downplaying other hardware designers. Although it insists the deal keeps the ecosystem healthy by offering patent protection and keeping Motorola at arm's length, the company has dropped repeated hints that it plans special hardware integration. Google chairman Eric Schmidt said the deal gave Google its own hardware and is known to have asked HTC, Samsung, and others to use near-identical language supporting the deal that suggests it was worried they might object.

By Electronista Staff

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