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Google meddles in Microsoft/Yahoo! deal

by Scott Bicheno on 4 February 2008, 10:22

Tags: Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)

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Less monopolistic than thou

In a highly unsurprising move, Google has started bleating about how unfair it would be for everyone if Microsoft was allowed to acquire Yahoo!.

In his Google blog, Google corporate development VP and chief legal officer dramatically suggests the entire raison d’etre of the Internet – openness and innovation – is under threat and asks: “Could the acquisition of Yahoo! allow Microsoft -- despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses -- to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet?”

The inference is that only Google stands between the pure, innocent, virginal Internet and the evil, lascivious Microsoft. That, of course, is why Google is looking to dominate the online advertising market with its purchase of DoubleClick and why it censors the use of Google.cn, its Chinese site.

It seems that even the world’s regulatory bodies can’t be trusted to keep an eye on things, so Google chief executive Eric Schmidt personally called Yahoo! Boss Jerry Yang to offer the company’s help in rebuffing Microsoft’s inappropriate advances, offering a more platonic relationship with Google as an alternative.

Apparently Google has also been pimping out Yahoo! to the rest of the corporate media world, offering to assist in anyone’s attempted acquisition of Yahoo! as long as it’s not Microsoft. A New York Times article has also suggested that Yahoo! may be broken up.

Microsoft hasn't responded directly to Google's claims, but its own general council, Brad Smith, issued a short statement yesterday: "Today, Google is the dominant search engine and advertising company on the Web. Google has amassed about 75 percent of paid search revenues worldwide and its share continues to grow. According to published reports, Google currently has more than 65 percent search query share in the U.S. and more than 85 percent in Europe. Microsoft and Yahoo! on the other hand have roughly 30 percent combined in the U.S. and approximately 10 percent combined in Europe." In other words: "Anticompetitive? They can bloody talk!"

Of course, Google is merely getting Microsoft back for its own hard to stomach whinging about monopolistic practices when Google first bid for DoubleClick. I guess we can expect these two near monopolists to keep accusing each other of anticompetitive behaviour until one of them ends up ruling the world.



HEXUS Forums :: 3 Comments

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Whoo! Go Google!!! :rockon2:
I wonder what this does… Bang! Owww!.. my foot.. :P
Awww, doesnt he want to see the Moo! Search engine? :shaun: