Google-Yahoo deal subject of antitrust probe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has opened a formal antitrust investigation into a deal between Google and Yahoo to share some advertising revenue, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Investigators are planning to demand documents not only from Google and Yahoo, but also from other large companies in the Internet and media industries, the newspaper reported, citing sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. Archrivals Google, with more than 60 percent of the Web search market, and Yahoo, with 16.6 percent, agreed last month on an advertising partnership under which Yahoo will let Google put search ads on its site in a deal Yahoo called an $800 million (401 million pounds) annual revenue opportunity. Google and Yahoo are ranked number one and two in search respectively. When the advertising pact was... [read full story]