Dive Brief:

• LinkedIn is reportedly asking other software makers like SugarCRM to partner with them, offering to share a small amount of its data, according to a Business Insider report citing The Information.
• The organization is apparently doing so to nullify complaints from Salesforce to the European Commission about Microsoft's purchase of LinkedIn. The goal is to placate other companies who might consider joining Salesforce's protest.
• LinkedIn would offer data partner companies limited access to its data so they could integrate the information into software products. 

Dive Insight:

Last month, Salesforce asked the European Union to look into potential antitrust issues in Microsoft's $26.2 billion proposed acquisition of LinkedIn. 

"By gaining ownership of LinkedIn’s unique dataset of over 450 million professionals in more than 200 countries, Microsoft will be able to deny competitors access to that data, and in doing so obtain an unfair competitive advantage," Burke Norton, chief legal officer at Salesforce, said in a statement. 

The company plans to make the case that Microsoft's proposed merger does not allow for business competition to regulators globally.

Salesforce has reason for concern. Microsoft's productivity suite is already the most popular web-based business application. Combined with the LinkedIn's vast professional network, Microsoft will have a major stake in most professionals' working lives. The company will also have extensive profile information on workers across the world. 

But according to Microsoft, the acquisition is well on its way and has already cleared regulatory approval in the U.S., Canada and Brazil.