European regulators approve Intel, McAfee deal

The European Commission has granted approval for chip manufacturer Intel to purchase security software company McAfee, saying that it will take measures to ensure the acquisition is not anticompetitive.

Intel has agreed to measures that will allow McAfee rivals to gain access to Intel’s chip technology.

“The commitments submitted by Intel strike the right balance, as they allow preserving both competition and the beneficial effects of the merger,” EC vice president in charge of competition Joaquin Almunia said in a statement.

“These changes will ensure that vigorous competition is maintained and that consumers get the best result in terms of price, choice, and quality of the IT security products.”

Intel says that security software and hardware have become so intertwined that combining the two is required to ensure a high level of protection.