EU to rule on Microsoft acquisition of Github in October

European Union antitrust regulators said they will make a decision on Microsoft’s pending merger with the coding platform Github on Oct. 19.

Microsoft submitted the proposed $7.5 billion acquisition to the European Union for approval on Friday, according to a filing.

{mosads}The EU will either OK the merger or launch an investigation if it deems the deal raises anticompetitive concerns.

Github would be Microsoft’s largest deal since it acquired LinkedIn for $26 billion in 2016.

The European Union approved that deal with conditions to preserve competition among social media platforms in Europe.

Microsoft’s bid to acquire Github comes as the EU has taken steps to crack down on some large American technology companies for what the EU calls abusing their dominant positions in the market.

Though the EU hasn’t intervened in any recent mergers, it hit Google with a record $5 billion fine in July, accusing the company of illegally using its Android mobile operating system to cement its dominance over other online services.

The EU has also gone after big tech on other charges, hitting Apple in 2016 with a massive order to pay around $14 billion in back taxes to Ireland and Facebook in 2017 with a roughly $122 million fine for being misleading about its acquisition of the messaging app Whatsapp.