Press Release: Mergers: Commission confirms approval of recorded music joint venture between Sony and Bertelsmann after re-assessment subsequent to Court decision

The European Commission has confirmed clearance under EU merger control rules for the creation of Sony BMG, a joint venture combining the recorded music businesses of Sony and Bertelsmann after concluding that the transaction would not create or strengthen a dominant or collectively dominant position in the music markets in the EEA (as regards EU Member States, restricted to the 15 countries who were members before 1 May 2004). The merger had first been approved by the Commission in 2004 (see IP/04/959). Following the annulment of this approval by the Court of First Instance in 2006, the Commission has conducted an in-depth re-assessment of the merger.

European Commission: SPEECH/07/591: Neelie Kroes: Introductory remarks on Spanish bitumen cartel, Visa/Morgan Stanley and Sony/BMG joint venture http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/591&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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