RAW STORY
Published: Sunday April 30, 2006
Google has complained to the Justice Department and European Commission that Microsoft's new search engine plan will let them steal traffic and advertisers, according to a front page story set for Monday's New York Times, RAW STORY has found.
Excerpts from the article written by Steve Lohr: #
With a $10 billion advertising market at stake, Google, the fast-rising Internet star, is raising objections to the way that it says Microsoft, the incumbent powerhouse of computing, is wielding control over Internet searching in its new Web browser.
Google, which only recently began beefing up its lobbying efforts in Washington, says it expressed its concerns in recent talks with the Justice Department and the European Commission, both of which have brought previous successful antitrust actions against Microsoft.
The new browser includes a search box that is typically set up to send users to Microsoft's MSN search service. Google contends that this positions Microsoft to unfairly grab Web traffic and advertising dollars away from its competitors.
"The market favors open choice for search, and companies should compete for users based on the quality of their search services," said Marissa Mayer, the vice president for search products at Google. "We don't think it's right for Microsoft to just set the default to MSN. We believe users should choose." #
Developing.