According to foreign media reports, the U.S. antitrust regulators and the European Commission Thursday approved a Microsoft-Yahoo search unconditional cooperation agreement.
EU regulators said the merger will be conducive to road challenge Google's leading position in Europe, in a statement said: "The first phase of the European Commission's market survey shows that the scale is to become an important competitor in search advertising business is an important determining factor. "
Microsoft and Yahoo said the two companies have plans to begin implementation in June last year, reached a cooperation agreement, its content is mainly Microsoft's will should be Yahoo's search engine, but Yahoo will use Microsoft's search advertising technology for the management of the two companies search advertising sales. In addition, Microsoft will, within five years after the agreement is in force Yahoo to pay the profits generated from the Microsoft Web site for 88%. The two companies in the United States this year is expected to be completed before the end of integration, while a global scale will be completed by 2012.
Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz said in a news conference that the agreement will make the company more focused on "innovative search experience"; Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer added that the alliance between the two will provide consumers with "more choice, a better value and greater innovation. "
The European Commission survey found that advertisers and online publishers hope that the agreement will expand Microsoft, in order to confront with Google, the Internet search and search advertising to increase competition.
The European Commission said that Microsoft and Google's Internet search and search advertising business in Europe is very limited, both market share and not more than 10%, so the agreement will not be a serious obstacle to European competition. While Google holds more than 90% of the share.
Google in 2008, due to pressure from the United States abandoned the administration of justice between the advertising agreement with Yahoo, Microsoft has also expressed opposition to the agreement.
According to market research firm comScore data provided by the United States in December last year, a total of 14.7 billion core searches, 66% were carried out using Google, but Yahoo and Microsoft will be the sum of only 28%.
Microsoft, Yahoo's co-operation agreement has been in Australia, Brazil and Canada, approved by the competent authorities, but still by the United States and the EU can be effective. The two companies will continue to work with South Korea, China Taiwan and Japanese authorities to seek regulatory approval.
