Covisint gets regulatory clearance, will go live within a month

DETROIT (Sept. 26)—The automotive manufacturer exchange Covisint has cleared all major regulatory hurdles and should launch within 30 days. Germany´s antitrust agency, the Bundeskartelamt, ended its antitrust investigation of the joint venture company today, fifteen days after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission gave it the nod. "Covisint is now cleared to transform itself from a planning initiative to a company," Peter Weiss, a member of the Covisint executive team and DaimlerChrysler lead, said in a written statement. "It will establish a corporate identity, begin hiring permanent employees and, of course, open trade on the exchange between customers."