Webwire: Google clear to buy Motorola; Apple value approaches $500b

Regulators in the EU and the US have approved Google's $12.5 billion (€9.4 billion) takeover of Motorola Mobility. The deal now just needs to be cleared in China, Taiwan and Israel.
 
Apple’s share price hit $500 (€379) for the first time Monday, giving it a market cap of $460 billion. At this rate, the company is set to become the first to reach a valuation of $500 billion since Exxon in 2007.
 
Web users in Germany, France, the UK and nine other European countries joined protests against planned anti-piracy laws over the weekend. Some 22 member states have already agreed to the ACTA law.
 
Justin Timberlake's buyout of MySpace is showing signs of paying off, with the company revealing it is now adding 40,000 new registrations per day.
 
Apple is accused of hiking the price of Whitney Houston tracks following a surge in demand after the singer’s death over the weekend.
 
Dutch operator KPN has apologized to two million customers left unable to access email services for two days following a cyber attack.