Antitrust

Analyst: Feds will limit Google-Yahoo pact

By Yi-Wyn Yen

The Google-Yahoo search advertising pact will get approval from the Department of Justice in the next few weeks, but not without some serious scaling back of the deal, according to one analyst.

Thomas Weisel Partners managing director Christa Quarles expects the Justice Department to put limits on how often Yahoo will be allowed to run Google's (GOOG) ads on Yahoo's web properties. Yahoo's revenue-sharing agreement gives the Internet portal flexibility on MORE

Why Google may walk away from Yahoo deal

By Scott Moritz

The planned advertising partnership between Google (GOOG) and Yahoo (YHOO), which was devised during Microsoft's (MSFT) unsolicited bid for Yahoo, is headed for a federal antitrust challenge. And that could mean, according to one analyst, that Google could wind up walking away from the deal.

Two days after the Association of National Advertisers sent a letter to the Justice Department opposing the Google-Yahoo ad pact, antitrust regulators hired high-powered MORE

XM and Sirius merger approval nears

By Scott Moritz

In what would be a 3-2 vote split along political party lines, the Federal Communications Commission has finally gotten close to approving the merger between Sirius (SIRI) and rival XM (XMSR).

The swing vote on the deal is Commissioner Deborah Tate, a Republican appointee. Both Reuters and The Wall Street Journal say she is close to filing her vote in favor of the deal.

The two Democrats on the five member commission MORE

Google-Yahoo deal faces resistance

By Yi-Wyn Yen

Google may be getting cold feet. In a last-ditch effort to avoid a merger with Microsoft, Yahoo said it was considering teaming with Google in a search advertising deal. But some Google executives are now questioning whether that's a good idea, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

One major hurdle: A Google-Yahoo tieup could face tough scrutiny from regulators in Washington and the European Union. Last month Yahoo (YHOO) MORE

Google co-founder takes shot at Microsoft's bid for Yahoo

By Yi-Wyn Yen

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Look who's calling the kettle black.

Last year Google denied Microsoft's claim that the search giant's proposed acquisition of online ad company DoubleClick would cripple competition for Internet advertising. Now Google co-founder Sergey Brin is suggesting that Microsoft's (MSFT) proposed $44.6 billion takeover of Yahoo (YHOO) would monopolize the Internet.

"The Internet's evolved from open standards," said Brin when an Associated Press reporter asked MORE

What Google can do to help Yahoo

By Michal Lev-Ram

Hours after Microsoft made its $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo last Friday, Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly called Yahoo chief Jerry Yang and offered his help in fending off the software giant's unwelcome advance. But how far can Google go in rescuing its rival before running into its own antitrust problems?

There are two ways Google could try to help the struggling search engine:

Out-bid Microsoft and acquire Yahoo.
Form a MORE

Microsoft-Yahoo antitrust hearing canceled

By Michal Lev-Ram

Looks like the U.S. House of Representatives may have jumped the gun on Microsoft's bid for Yahoo -- a House committee spokesperson just confirmed its antitrust hearing on the proposed deal, originally slated for Friday morning, has been canceled.

Just hours after Microsoft (MSFT) revealed its $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo (YHOO) last Friday, the House Judiciary Committee, led by John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), announced its MORE

Antitrust: Apple accused of bullying Microsoft

In a case rich in irony, an antitrust suit has been filed against Apple (AAPL) accusing the company of illegally maintaining a monopoly in the digital music market by failing to support Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Media Audio format.

The suit was filed Dec. 31 in San Jose and brought to light Thursday afternoon by InformationWeek. The plaintiff is Stacie Somers, a San Diego-based attorney represented in this case by a gaggle MORE