Microsoft could, for once, welcome the regulators if
Google approaches Yahoo to form an alliance in an attempt to stave
off Microsoft's £22bn bid for the search-engine
company.
Microsoft last week made a cash and stock offer for Yahoo worth
£22bn.
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CIO, said yesterday that any alliance
between Google and Yahoo could stamp out competition in the search
engine market.
He said Microsoft would "communicate [this] to regulators,"
according to a
report in the Financial Times
Seperately, Brad Smith, general counsel at Microsoft, said in a
statement that joint venture between Microsoft and Yahoo would
present a much less dominant player in the internet search
market.
"Today, Google is the dominant search engine and advertising
company on the web. Google has amassed about 75% of paid search
revenues worldwide and its share continues to grow. According to
published reports, Google currently has more than 65% search query
share in the U.S. and more than 85% in Europe. Microsoft and Yahoo,
on the other hand, have roughly 30% combined in the U.S. and
approximately 10% combined in Europe," he said.