Google claims Microsoft-Yahoo! deal poses antitrust issues

[xmas13]

Reuters
Microsoft-Yahoo deal poses antitrust issues: Google
Sunday February 3, 3:37 pm ET

San Francisco (Reuters) - Google Inc (NasdaqGS:GOOG - News) fired back on Sunday at Microsoft Corp's (NasdaqGS:MSFT - News) $44.6 billion bid to acquire Yahoo Inc (NasdaqGS:YHOO - News), accusing Microsoft of seeking to extend its computer software monopoly deeper into the Internet realm.

David Drummond, a Google senior vice president and its chief legal officer, said in a blog post that the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo could undermine the open competition that has fueled more than a decade of Web innovation.

"Between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet," Drummond wrote in a blog post to be published at http://googleblog.blogspot.com.

"Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and Web-based services?" he asked rhetorically, noting that Microsoft has a history of using its monopoly positions to dominate newer, adjacent markets.

The Google executive called on policymakers around the world to challenge the merger. In making its case for the deal on Friday, Microsoft executives said Google -- not Microsoft -- was the one company antitrust regulators were likely to bar from buying Yahoo based on Google's dominance in Web search.

(Reporting by Eric Auchard; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080203/yahoo...ft_google.html

[Manowar]

Hardly suprising, but I still think google would win out of them

[Vick!]

they cant pose thread to google in open competition, but yeah .. in monopoly like microsoft used to do .. nothing can be said.

[brandonstills]

I highly doubt it will happen. The cultures are too incompatible.

[notoldschool]

I agree with google.

[JamesK]

Originally Posted by Manowar

Hardly suprising, but I still think google would win out of them

Last time I checked Google and Yahoo have about the same traffic. So if Live search merged with Yahoo, Microsoft would definitely have bigger numbers.

[baddog]

pot <-> kettle

[Rui]

Google "calling out MS" on this is so ironic it hurts...

They need some serious competition and even a MicroShoo! is not a "direct threat" given how much market share they have...

BTW reply to that from MS:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/p...#37;20Releases

Originally Posted by baddog

pot <-> kettle

Indeed

Reading some of your comments I do wonder if some are webmasters or even remotely use Google...

[SayWhut]

Shouldn't Microsoft concentrate on filtering out spam from their shitty mail service rather than acquiring Yahoo. They seem to have enough on there plate what with releasing crappy Operating Systems, terrible MP3 players and what not.

[Rodent]

Originally Posted by SayWhut

Shouldn't Microsoft concentrate on filtering out spam from their shitty mail service rather than acquiring Yahoo. They seem to have enough on there plate what with releasing crappy Operating Systems, terrible MP3 players and what not.

Yahoo needs to do the same. Their fucking "spam" filter is worthless. I flag everything and all that fake rolex viagra dick growing stuff still gets through.

[NinjaSteve]

Originally Posted by Rui

Google "calling out MS" on this is so ironic it hurts...

They need some serious competition and even a MicroShoo! is not a "direct threat" given how much market share they have...

BTW reply to that from MS:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/p...ess%20Releases



Indeed

Reading some of your comments I do wonder if some are webmasters or even remotely use Google...

Hell yeah! Google is trying to own the world.