Publisher's Synopsis
VNU Entertainment Media UK Ltd and Book Data both supply databases of UK-published books and certain other services for the book industry. The Commission's report examines the acquisition by VNU of Book Data, particularly since both companies were in strong and direct competition with each other in the commercial bibliographic data market before the merger (in terms of providing information used to identify, locate and order books, to assist with purchasing and to manage stock).;The report finds it likely that, in the absence of this merger, Book Data would have been bought by a US company, Bowker, and this would have meant a lessening of potential competition overall (because VNU (whose parent company is Dutch) would probably have left the UK commercial bibliographic data market and resulted in Bowker becoming the only commercial bibliographic agency worldwide for English-language books). Due to the merger between VNU and Book Data, the prospect for a competitive market remains, as Bowker may still be a potential entrant to the UK market for the future. The Commission concludes therefore that the merger does not operate and may not be expected to operate against the public interest.
