Amazon wins EU antitrust nod for iRobot deal after concessions

Amazon’s bid to acquire robot vacuum maker iRobot cleared a major hurdle after the company won unconditional antitrust clearance from European Union regulators.<br><br>The firm won the green light for the $1.7 billion purchase after pledging to address antitrust concerns, the European Commission announced in a statement Tuesday.<br><br>Amazon moved to satisfy regulators after the EU opened a more in-depth probe into the deal, citing concerns that the acquisition could lead to less innovation and competition on the developing smart home market. The pledge commits iRobot to license its mapping and navigation system to competitors and to continue to use Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant interoperably with rival products.<br><br>The EU is one of the last remaining competition authorities still scrutinizing the deal. The purchase has attracted intense scrutiny from US lawmakers as well, with many calling for regulators to block the acquisition.<br><br>Today’s approval by the EU marks the biggest success yet for Amazon in its efforts to acquire iRobot, which also sells the Roomba line of robot vacuum cleaners.<br><br>Amazon began to promise remedies to regulators in recent weeks. In November, it agreed to offer licenses for iRobot’s Roomba vacuum map data to other companies in a bid to assuage regulators’ concerns.<br><br>The EU said on Tuesday that the deal’s closure is conditional upon the fulfillment of those commitments.<br><br>The probe into the purchase is the first time the EU has used its new rules allowing it to review smaller deals that previously would have been unchecked by the bloc. In July, the EU opened an in-depth review of the acquisition, citing concerns that it could lead to less innovation and competition in three markets: smart home devices, voice assistants and robot vacuum cleaners.<br><br>Amazon declined to comment.