Oracle/Siebel deal gets Justice nod

The Justice Department has approved Oracle’s pending acquisition of Siebel Systems, a move that Oracle says will keep the transaction on track to close in the first quarter of calendar 2006.

Oracle on Tuesday announced that the deal cleared Justice’s antitrust review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. Oracle said the transaction still requires regulatory clearance from the European Commission.

In September, Oracle disclosed plans to acquire Siebel, a developer of customer relationship management (CRM) software. The acquisition will help Oracle boost the CRM side of its enterprise application business.

A number of government agencies use Siebel’s software to automate contact centers.