Brussels, 25/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has allowed the Japanese firm Ricoh to take control of the American photocopier distributor Lanier Worldwide, considering that the repercussions of this operation on the European market would be insignificant. Early December, the manufacturer and distributor of photocopiers Ricoh had made a friendly $260 million bid for Lanier Worldwide through its American subsidiary Ricoh Corp.