In a blog, Google said the tie-up could unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email and instant messaging services.

It said Microsoft had Google profits disappoint market ...
EU launches new Microsoft probes ...
US clears Google-Doubleclick deal ...
Google debuts knowledge project ...
Microsoft accused on net browser ... previously sought "to establish proprietary monopolies".

Microsoft made an unsolicited offer for Yahoo on Friday, and Yahoo has said it is considering the proposal.

Microsoft's Kevin Johnson said that the combination of the two companies would create an entity that could better compete with Google.

"Today the market [for online search and advertising] is increasingly dominated by one player," he said.

But that view is not held by the top executives at Google.

'Underlying principles'

"Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo raises troubling questions," said David Drummond, Google's senior vice president for corporate development and chief legal officer.

"This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It's about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation," he said in a company blog.

Mr Drummond claimed Microsoft may attempt to exert an "inappropriate... influence" over the internet.

"While the internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies - and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets," he said.

The EU competition regulator has launched a series of investigations into Microsoft.

(BBC)

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