| • | February 1: Microsoft publically announces its $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo (Microsoft Proposes Acquisition of Yahoo! for $31 per Share, Microsoft News Release). |
| • | February 4: Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt calls Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang. Schmidt offers to help Yahoo thwart Microsoft’s unsolicited offer (Google Offers to Help Yahoo Fight Off Microsoft, Wall Street Journal). |
| • | April 9: Google and Yahoo announce a test advertising partnership allowing Yahoo to carry Google Web advertising. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith responds to the alliance, highlighting than an alliance will place “90% of the search advertising market in Google’s hands” (Microsoft Comments on Yahoo! Announcement, Microsoft News Release). |
| • | April 23: Media reports that the Department of Justice is investigating “possible antitrust implications” of the Google-Yahoo advertising test (Justice Dept looking at Google/Yahoo , Reuters). |
| • | May 3: Microsoft Corp. withdraws its proposal to acquire Yahoo! Inc. (Microsoft Withdraws Proposal to Acquire Yahoo!, Microsoft News Release). |
| • | June 12: Google and Yahoo announce a search advertising alliance in the United States and Canada. The deal allows Yahoo to display Google advertisements in conjunction with its own search results (Google Announces Non-Exclusive Advertising Services Agreement with Yahoo! in U.S. and Canada, Official Google Blog). |
| • | July 2: Media reports that Department of Justice has opened a formal antitrust investigation into the Google-Yahoo alliance. (Google Ad Deal Is Under Scrutiny, Washington Post). |
| • | July 12: Media reports that several states open antitrust investigations into the advertising partnership. (States Probe Advertising Deal Between Google and Yahoo, Washington Post). |
| • | July 15: Lawmakers examine Google's proposed partnership with Yahoo during separate House and Senate hearings on Internet competition. (Congress Steps Up Questions On Google, Yahoo Ad Alliance, Washington Post). |
| • | July 15: SearchIgnite releases a study on the potential impact of the Google-Yahoo! partnership on marketers. (Potential Impact of Google-Yahoo! Partnership & Cost to Marketers, SearchIgnite Whitepaper). |
| • | August 26: Media report Canada's Competition Bureau has launched a review of proposed partnership between Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. (Competition watchdog reviewing Google's Yahoo deal, Globe and Mail). |
| • | September 8: Association of National Advertisers sends a letter to Assistant Attorney General Thomas O. Barnett, citing its objections to the announced Google-Yahoo search advertising partnership. (ANA Recommends Against Google-Yahoo Search Advertising Partnership in Letter to Department of Justice, News Release). |
| • | September 9: Media report the Association of Canadian Advertisers calls on the government to prevent a proposed Google-Yahoo search partnership. (Canadian advertisers call on government to stop Google-Yahoo partnership, IT Business Canada). |
| • | September 9: Media report the U.S. Justice Department has hired Sandy Litvack for “a possible court challenge to Google Inc.'s growing power in advertising.” (Top Lawyer Is Selected As U.S. Mulls Google Suit, Wall Street Journal). |
| • | September 15: World Association of Newspapers asks European and North American competition regulators to block an advertising agreement between Google and Yahoo on anti-competitive grounds. (World’s Press Opposes Yahoo-Google Advertising Deal, News Release). |
| • | September 15: Media report the European Commission is examining possible effects of the Yahoo-Google agreement in Europe. (Google, Yahoo Face EU Antitrust Probe Into Ad Deal, Bloomberg). |
| • | September 22: World Federation of Advertisers sends a written submission to the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition recommending they block the agreement. (WFA outlines concerns over Google/ Yahoo! alliance, News Release). |
| • | September 23: American Antitrust Association releases a white paper on the proposed Google-Yahoo! alliance. (The Proposed Google-Yahoo Alliance: An Antitrust White Paper, AAI Whitepaper). |
| • | September 23: Scott Cleland, President, Precursor LLC and Chairman, NetCompetition.org, releases “Googleopoly II,” a white paper outlining the sources of Google’s market power. (Googleopoly II: Google's Predatory Playbook to Thwart Competition -- a new White Paper, Precursor Blog). |
| • | September 24: International Advertising Association announces that it had communicated with the U.S. Department of Justice in August stating concerns that might arise from a proposed Google/Yahoo! business arrangement. (IAA Opposes Google-Yahoo! tieup, News Release). |
| • | September 25: Last day of agreed waiting period, after which Google and Yahoo! can implement the proposed agreement according to Section 16 of the services agreement submitted to the SEC, 105 days from June 12th. (Google-Yahoo! Services Agreement, SEC Filing). |
| • | September 26: Media report authorities in Canada have hired David Kent, a Toronto litigator and an antitrust expert. (Justice Talks With Rivals, Clients of Yahoo, Google, Wall Street Journal) Kent acknowledged [September 29] that he has been retained by the Canadian Department of Justice to review the proposed partnership between Yahoo! and Google. (Kent hiring hints at threat for Yahoo, Google deal, MarketWatch). |
| • | September 26: Media report 10 members of Congress have sent a letter to the Justice Department, expressing concern and urging a careful review of the proposed Google-Yahoo! deal. (Justice Talks With Rivals, Clients of Yahoo, Google, Wall Street Journal). |
| • | October 11: Last day either Google or Yahoo can terminate the agreement to "avoid or end a lawsuit" filed by antitrust authorities, according to Section 16 of the services agreement submitted to the SEC, 120 days after June 12th. (Google-Yahoo! Services Agreement, SEC Filing). |
