Here’s the Sunday release from Microsoft and a link to a paidcontent.org story on similar corporate competition concerns. Of course, more is at stake, including the future diversity of editorial content online. Whomever controls the interactive ad market will determine much of broadband’s future.
“Microsoft Statement on Proposed Acquisition of DoubleClick by Google”
“Microsoft has released the following statement by Brad Smith, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation, on the proposed acquisition of DoubleClick by Google:
“This proposed acquisition raises serious competition and privacy concerns in that it gives the Google DoubleClick combination unprecedented control in the delivery of online advertising, and access to a huge amount of consumer information by tracking what customers do online. We think this merger deserves close scrutiny from regulatory authorities to ensure a competitive online advertising market.â€
and from paidcontent.org (excerpt) “Rivals Start Weighing on Google-Doubleclick Deal: Want Close Regulatory Scrutiny
“A flurry of activity over the weekend after Friday’s announcement about Google’s intention to buy DoubleClick for $3.1 billion in cash. Competitors like Yahoo, Time Warner and Microsoft, all of whom did bid for DCLK, are talking about anti-competitive nature of the deal. The deal will be subject to a review by either the Department of Justice or Federal Trade Commission.
— This is possibly the first time Microsoft has leveled a charge of anti-competitive behavior, reports FT. Between them, Google and DoubleClick account for “over 80 per cent of the adverts delivered to website publishers, so their combination in a single company has big ramifications,†Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel, said on Sunday.” [story continues]
