European regulators clear HP purchase of EDS

BRUSSELS, Belgium — European Union antitrust regulators have approved Hewlett-Packard Co.'s proposed $13.2 billion purchase of technology services provider Electronic Data Systems Corp. The European Commission's decision, announced Friday, says the deal between the two U.S. companies would not hinder competition on the EU market. It said EDS and HP did not compete heavily against each other in the information technology markets they do business in. Hewlett-Packard, based in Palo Alto, Calif., announced in May it had agreed to buy EDS, based in Plano, Texas. HP, maker of personal computers and printers, prizes EDS because it wants to become a much bigger player in technology... [read full story]