On 8 April 2011, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Google Inc. (Google) may proceed with its proposed acquisition of travel software firm ITA Software Inc. (ITA) subject to requirements that it develop and license travel software, establish internal firewall procedures, and continue software research and development. According to the DOJ, the proposed settlement protects competition for travel websites and guarantees that websites using ITA's software will be able to power their websites to compete against any travel website Google may introduce in the future.