Google-DoubleClick Deal To Pass FTC's Review This Week?
,----[ Quote ]
| On complaints from Microsoft and privacy advocates, antitrust lawyers
| discounted those issues as not germane to the FTC's premerger authority, the
| story says.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/paidcontent/071203/1_317489_id.html?.v=1
Despite Microsoft's $6 billion acqisition, desire to buy DoubleClick, and this
new one huge takeover:
Vivendi Cuts Deal to Take Control of Activision
http://www.smartmoney.com/onedaywonder/index.cfm?story=20071203&afl=yahoo
SAP Gains On Rumors MSFT Might (Again) Want To Buy It
,----[ Quote ]
| I doubt the integration would be any less complicated in 2008. Oh, and for
| the record: SAP has a market cap of $62 billion; figuring in a nice premium,
| you would be talking $80 billion or so for an acquisition. Possible, but a
| serious long shot.
`----
http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2007/12/03/sap-gains-on-rumors-msft-might-again-want-to-buy-it/?mod=yahoobarrons
Related:
News Analysis: Microsoft General Counsel on DoubleClick and Antitrust
,----[ Quote ]
| This raises a very important question - why didn't Microsoft match Google's
| $3.1 billion offer. Smith would not comment on this, but I can report from
| very good sources that in fact the company did offer to match it, and was
| willing to pay even more to insure that Google did not corner the online ad
| market. But for whatever reasons, the private equity firm that owned the
| majority of DoubleClick's shares decided to go with Google.
|
| [...]
|
| I asked Smith about the irony of Microsoft asking the government to
| support it on antitrust. His response was interesting.
`----
http://battellemedia.com/archives/003561.php
Microsoft Befriends Google's Foes
,----[ Quote ]
| After a government- and monopoly-inspired period in which Microsoft had
| to pretend to be a gentle force for global good, the company is being
| forced to return to its ruthless roots. Ironically, it is doing this
| in part by decrying the unfair practices of a competitor and
| shamelessly sucking up to the Establishment.
`----
http://www.forbes.com/2007/03/06/microsoft-google-blodget-tech-cx_hb_0306blodget.html?partner=yahootix
http://tinyurl.com/3bewws
Google to pay $3.1 bln for DoubleClick ad business
,----[ Quote ]
| "Google could not let this go to Microsoft and therefore paid what
| they needed to pay," Rohan said.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/070413/doubleclick_google.html
The INQ guide to the baleful side of PR bunnies
,----[ Quote ]
| Burson M might have tried to advise against it, saying if the news gets out
| it will make Microsoft look sleazier than it already looks. Or the guys at
| Burson M might have just fallen over on their backs without a murmur. Now the
| cack has hit the fan, they'll probably get another good kicking from the Vole
| because the primary function of a PR is not only to be a flack, but to take
| the flak when the client is too frit to accept the blame.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=42582
Microsoft Taps Lobbyist on Google Buyout
,----[ Quote ]
| On Monday, Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft closed a $6 billion deal to buy
| digital marketing company aQuantive that would challenge Google in the online
| ad business.
|
| The lobbying disclosure form was posted online Thursday by the Senate's
| public records office.
|
| Under a federal law enacted in 1995, lobbyists are required to disclose
| activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative
| branches. They must register with Congress within 45 days of being hired or
| engaging in lobbying.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070815/microsoft_lobbying.html?.v=1
Legislators Wimp Out on Open Document Format Bills
,----[ Quote ]
| As both Peter Quinn and Louis Gutierrez both found out, trying to
| make responsible standards-related decisions where huge sums of
| vendor revenues are at stake is scarcely a career-enhancing pastime.
| CIOs should be entitled to stay out of harm's way, and try their best
| to serve the public's interests the best they can. Where that can't be
| done, legislatures should protect them, and keep them safe from the
| types of unwarranted threats and attacks that Carol Sliwa reported
| on in a series of public-records request-based stories at ComputerWorld
| last December.
|
| [...]
|
| After the impressive lobbying assault mounted over the past six
| months against open document format legislation, I expect you
| won't be hearing of many state IT departments taking the baton
| back from their legislators.
|
| And who can blame them? If they tried, it wouldn't be likely to
| be anything as harmless as an open document format that would
| bite them in the butt.
`----
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070610175856704
Microsoft trounces pro-ODF forces in state battles over open document formats
,----[ Quote ]
| In a resounding victory for Microsoft Corp., bills seeking to mandate the
| use of open document formats by government agencies have been defeated
| in five states, and only a much-watered-down version of such legislation
| was signed into law in a sixth state.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9022878
Packing The Court At The ISO?
,----[ Quote ]
| ...P member countries ('participating member' countries) sending
| representatives, and I am interested to note the majority of
| their representatives are, as individuals, also Microsoft employees.
|
| [...]
|
| How can they not see that OOXML (ECMA 376) is unwanted by anyone outside of
| Microsoft? How about it Brian Jones? Are you really so desperate that you
| have to resort to that?
`----
http://lnxwalt.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/packing-the-court-at-the-iso/
Q&A: Former Mass. CIO feels 'bittersweet pride' after battles with Microsoft,
legislature
,----[ Quote ]
| As CIO of Massachusetts from February to November last year, Louis
| Gutierrez had to endure most of the brunt of Microsoft Corp.'s political
| wrath over a state policy calling for the adoption of the Open Document
| Format for Office Applications, or ODF -- a rival to the software vendor's
| Office Open XML file format.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012760&source=rss_news50
,----[ Quote ]
| Quinn: Almost to a person, to anybody involved or who knows about
| the ODF issue, they attributed the story to Microsoft, right, wrong
| or otherwise. Senator Pacheco may be a bully but I do not believe he
| is disingenious and would stoop to such a tactic. Senator Pacheco and
| Secretary Galvin's office remain very heavily influenced by the
| Microsoft money and its lobbyist machine, as witnessed by their
| playbook and words, in my opinion.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060119232859729
MA Governor-Elect Names MS Anti-ODF Lobbyist to Technology Advisory Group
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20061128161343183
Bonnie Garcia - Enter the FUD Brigade
,----[ Quote ]
| In opposing California AB 1668, Bonnie spreads a heaping
| helping of fear, uncertainty and doubt by discussing
| wholly unrelated IT projects that failed.
`----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpfu7pwabLY
Bill seeks study of open document formats in New York
,----[ Quote ]
| A bill introduced in the New York state legislature on
| Wednesday would require the state government's IT director
| to study the issue of using open document formats within
| agencies, although the proposal doesn't seek to
| mandate an immediate or long-term move to such formats.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft also is seeking the ISO stamp of approval for
| Office Open XML, the default file format in its Office
| 2007 software. But the software vendor has fought
| the open formats bills in every state as part of an
| effort to protect its Office franchise.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php?id=1431489376&rid=-50
Politics and tech companies: follow the money
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061110-8194.html
Years of deadlock on EU patent bring some new thinking
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/08/business/patents.php
,----[ Quote ]
| "A source that deals with the company said unofficially that Gates
| proposed Microsoft's Digital Rights Management technology as a national
| standard to fight piracy at the governmental level."
`----
http://www.kommersant.com/p719683/r_528/
Leaked letter warns of open source 'threat to eco-system'
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=7109
Study: open source needs official support; Lobbyist disagrees with "flawed"
conclusions
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061017-8011.html
Report Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to Abramoff
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/12/AR2006101200889.html
Open Source Foes In Bed With Abramoff
http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/12/2036223&from=rss
EU official joins consultancy serving Microsoft
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-10-03T134311Z_01_L03693228_RTRIDST_0_TECH-MICROSOFT-OFFICIAL.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna
US ambassador to the EU was former Microsoft lobbyist
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34706
US politicians go to bat for Microsoft
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/26/microsoft_eu_political_lobbying/
Changing the Report, After the Vote
http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/01/commission
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