Microsoft counsel warns against Yahoo-Google deal

Microsoft's top lawyer on Thursday warned that any deal between Yahoo and Google would hurt competition.

"Any definitive agreement between Yahoo and Google would consolidate over 90 percent of the search-advertising market in Google's hands. This would make the market far less competitive, in contrast to our own proposal to acquire Yahoo," Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said in a statement.

The statement follows reports that Yahoo is considering a limited test of using Google to deliver some search advertising.

Smith said Microsoft will "assess closely all of our options."

Microsoft proposed on February 1 to buy Yahoo for $31 a share, but it has thus far been rebuffed by Yahoo, though the two sides have had a couple preliminary meetings. On Saturday, Microsoft set a three-week deadline for Yahoo to come to the negotiating table, or it would nominate its own slate of directors.

"Our proposal remains the only alternative that offers the shareholders full and fair value for their shares, gives every shareholder a vote on the future of the company, and enhances choice for content creators, advertisers, and consumers," Smith said.

[ibeetle]

Would it not be weird.

Would it not be weird if Microsoft, in preparing for a hostel
takeover of Yahoo started buying Yahoo stock. While, simultaneously Yahoo struck a sell off deal to Google. In the end
making Google and Microsoft partners.

[scottmacrae]

to true

so true SEO would be twice as hard http://www.onlinebendigo.com/ heheheh

[d.c.rogers]

Of course...

M$ is going to warn against anything that might give someone else
90% of something...

[supoman]

Listen to them!

They are experts in "Hurting the competition"!!

[jaspercomp]

Microsoft against?

What? I think microsoft needs to stop trying to steal everything in sight and try to come up with something original. They are constantly trying to play catch-up and will destroy everything until they can do the monopolizing! Google is a superior product, plain and simple. If I were Google, I'd start purchasing huge chunks of microsoft stock.

[crewfan69]

90% - Where Have I Senn That Before?

Okay, so what is the install base of M$ OSes planet-wide? Near 90%? I guess only M$ is allowed 90% control of anything.

[random1138]

yup, just about 90%

Are they going to sell off part of the OS business?
http://w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp

[skrubol]

Yahoogle?

Yahoogle works much better than Microhoo anyway.

[Scott Cleland]

Google-Yahoo's antitrust red flag

This is Scott Cleland, President of Precursor LLC, and I testified before the Senate Judiciary committee on the Google-Dooublclick deal.
I am flagging a blog post I did on this last night.
I quote the FTC's approval of Google-Doubleclick document which strongly suggests that the FTC has concluded search is a separate market for antitrust purposes. Google's ~60% search share with Yahoo's ~20% search share, make a Google-Yahoo search outsourcing deal a non-starter.
This is a bad bluff by Yahoo that most investors will see through like glass.
http://www.precursorblog.com/node/708

[agreddon]

Now that takes balls

Microsoft complaining about Yahoo Google monopolising the market?

[br77575]

What, me worry?

If Microsoft somehow managed to take over Yahoo, they would probably screw things up so bad that Google would still wind up controlling 90%.

[Phillep_H]

Such a deal!

A free virus with every search. Imagine.

Would anyone be surprised if some of the "features" Microogle came up with did not work so well with anything but the most recent MS OS? Nothing obvious, just little things that /might/ be accidental. (Along with a bunch of big problems that actually are accidental, so have fun sorting them out.)

[aSiriusTHoTH]

A monopoly is a monopoly is a monopoly

It doesn't matter if that pot is calling the kettle black, a monopoly is still a monopoly and we all know this (or should).

If Yahoo! started to use Google as their search engine, or even a slight amount this would cause problems in the on-line advertising world. Google cannot be allowed to control that much of the on-line advertising world, and it wouldn't happen anyways. Governments all over the world would put up a fight and it wouldn't go through.

When M$ says there would be a monopoly, we should believe them... they have experience.

Also, stop with the Yahogoole or whatever stupid mis-mash words some of you are doing. Yahoo.com is one of the largest portal pages on the internet. Their email and some other services are very popular. If anyone took over their properties, they would keep the name exactly the same. Changing the name would be a complete waste of why you purchased them to begin with.

C-mon... use those little minds.

[close5828]

Ballmer's got chutzpah to pull this

I'm not an Apple fanboy or a Microsoft hater, but I think it takes
real chutzpah for Microsoft to accuse anyone else of monopolistic
or anti-trust practices.

[USDecliningDollar]

GooHoo

MS "How dare some company have a monopoly on 90% of a market - that would be criminal!"

[TS2912]

Microsoft AGAINST monopolies???

That is the ultimate irony... the company that has monopolized the PC is now alleging a monopoly in ads (in a situation where Google has won the race based on a better product)

[karujiro]

Hypocritical"ballz" again

find one thing not "common" with the "whining" company of the Northwest: monger, monolith, mononucleosis,monotheism,monotonous,monarch, MONOPOLY

[BALTHOR1]

The FBI gives them a new identity

Yahoo personal would be placed in another part of the country or even another country with Kevlar disguises,new names and new families.

[QASIMARA]

Sarchasm isn't helping, guys.

If pirates could make exact knockoffs of HP products and sell them as easily as it is to copy Windows, you would not be saying that. That being said, it seems in buisness as in everything else these days that for every imbalance there is a counterbalance to make entrepreuership a quaint idea.

--Bill

[panthecat]

The Software Pirates of Penzance

But since MS has no innovative capabilities they must always be on the lookout for what software they can pirate and modify to be just within legal limits, for their own aims.

For future reference, the word is spelled "sarcasm".

[JCPayne]

*** If Microsoft loves competition why not do what the Judge said.

And form two companies... Microsoft A and Microsoft B...

[mrlemarquis]

do what the judge said!

Oh my god! 2 microsofts? It's already impossible and terrible with flaws all over - just with one!
MS "A" would push the faults to MS "B" and vice-versa!

[as901]

Microsoft has no right to claim "unfair"

Microsoft has been found guilty of violating more antitrust laws than any company that I can think of. Now Microsoft claiming that the Google-Yahoo deal would be unfair?

Microsoft has used it's control of the PC market to force companies to sell or die. Now they would like to control the net as they have the PC market.

I am far more worried about Microsoft getting control of search engines than I am worried about the Google-Yahoo deal.

If Microsoft gets their own search engine, they will be in a position to use the next version of Windows to disable of block other search engines. They will be able to block ads that compete with Microsoft and they weld far too much power already!

Mark Heinemann