Mountain View, Calif. - Seven months after Google (NASD: GOOG) announced that it would pay $3.1 billion to acquire New York-based Internet ad firm DoubleClick, the company on Tuesday learned that it will have to wait a bit longer to close the deal.

Reuters reported that the European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation of the deal that could take four months to complete.

"The Commission's initial market investigation indicated that the proposed merger would raise competition concerns in the markets for intermediation and ad serving in online advertising," the EC said in a statement.

The Commission will have until April 2 to make its final decision.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2o98ew (Reuters)

http://www.doubleclick.com