BREAKING: GOOGLE WITHDRAWING FROM YAHOO DEAL; Not Worth The Legal Fight
This story was written by Rafat Ali.
It was only a matter of time, after all indications were pointing to the deal not going through in the original or even watered down form: Google has withdrawn from its ad search deals with Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO). The main rationale for backing out: Google didn't want to take on the legal fight with the regulator, and risk alienating its other partners.
The full statement by David Drummond, Google's Chief Legal Officer, is posted below, also on Google's official blog:
"In June we announced an advertising agreement with Yahoo! that gave Yahoo! the option of using Google to provide ads on its websites (and its publisher partners' sites) in the U.S. and Canada. At the same time, both companies agreed to delay implementation of the agreement to give regulators the chance to review it. While this wasn't legally necessary, we thought it was the right thing to do because Google and Yahoo! have been successful in online advertising and we realized that any cooperation between us would attract attention.
We feel that the agreement would have been good for publishers, advertisers, and usersas well, of course, for Yahoo! and Google (NSDQ: GOOG). Why? Because it would have allowed Yahoo! (and its existing publisher partners) to show more relevant ads for queries that currently generate few or no advertisements. Better ads are more useful for users, more efficient for advertisers, and more valuable for publishers.
However, after four months of review, including discussions of various possible changes to the agreement, it's clear that government regulators and some advertisers continue to have concerns about the agreement. Pressing ahead risked not only a protracted legal battle but also damage to relationships with valued partners. That wouldn't have been in the long-term interests of Google or our users, so we have decided to end the agreement.
We're of course disappointed that this deal won't be moving ahead. But we're not going to let the prospect of a lengthy legal battle distract us from our core mission. That would be like trying to drive down the road of innovation with the parking brake on. Google's continued success depends on staying focused on what we do best: creating useful products for our users and partners."
By Rafat Ali