US Department of Justice extends review of Google's Motorola buy

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has contacted Google to gather more information on its planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

Google confirmed that the company has received what it called a "pretty routine" request to submit additional details as part of the DoJ's review of the transaction.

"We are confident that this deal will be approved," wrote Dennis Woodside, a senior vice president at Google, in a post to the company's Public Policy blog.

"We believe very strongly that this is a pro-competitive transaction that is good for Motorola Mobility, good for consumers and good for our partners."

Google announced the Motorola Mobility deal in August. The $12.5bn acquisition will give Google a mobile handset and tablet manufacturer to go with its Android mobile operating system.

The deal could also have an impact on Google's pending legal cases. Intellectual property experts have noted that Motorola's patent holdings could play a key role in litigation over Android.

Motorola said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that the acquisition will be completed in late 2011 or early 2012.

Google, meanwhile, maintained its confidence that the DoJ will approve the deal.

"While this means we won't be closing right away, we're confident the DoJ will conclude that the rapidly growing mobile ecosystem will remain highly competitive after this deal closes," wrote Woodside.

"We'll be working closely and co-operatively with them as they continue their review."