The Google-DoubleClick deal, which has provoked concern over competition within the industry, is now the subject of further scrutiny following the deletion of a web page, CNet News reports.Removal of the site follows press reports earlier this week which stated that two liberal groups had asked chairman of the Federal Trade Commission Chairman (FTC) Deborah Majoras to recuse herself from the case.
The request came after the discovery that Ms Majoras' husband works for law firm Jones Day, which is said to be representing DoubleClick in its upcoming appearance before the FTC.
A CNet News article at the time quoted the FTC as saying that Jones Day was only involved in the European aspects of the Google-DoubleClick merger, hence no conflict of interest exists.
However, the article went on to say that this "would seem to conflict" with information on the law firm's website, which stated that it is "advising DoubleClick ... on the international and US antitrust and competition law aspects of its planned ... acquisition by Google".
After the publication of CNet's report, Jones Day removed the web page in a move that has sparked a new wave of controversy.
Two antimerger groups cited the article and the subsequent deletion by Jones Day in a letter to the FTC which stated that the commission's representatives "who addressed yesterday the representation of DoubleClick by Jones Day before the commission were either misinformed or wilfully misled the public".
Last month, the FTC received a letter from two senior US lawmakers which urged it to subject the planned acquisition to "serious scrutiny" due to the potentially harmful impact it could have on competition.
