Google Inc. (GOOG) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) traded accusations about the threat the other poses to the health of competition on the Internet.

The exchange was started by search giant Google, in a blog post Sunday that said Microsofts unsolicited $44.6 billion offer for Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) raises troubling questions.

(This story and related background material will be available on The Wall Street Journal Web site, WSJ.com.)

The blog post, attributed to Google Senior Vice President David Drummond, asks whether Microsoft could now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC. It accuses Microsoft, which has been targeted by antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Europe for years, of frequently [seeking] to establish proprietary monopolies - and then [leveraging] its dominance into new, adjacent markets.

Not long afterward, Microsoft responded with a statement rebutting Googles contentions.

The combination of Microsoft and Yahoo! will create a more competitive marketplace by establishing a compelling number two competitor for Internet search and online advertising, said Brad Smith, Microsofts general counsel, in a statement emailed to reporters. The alternative scenarios only lead to less competition on the Internet.

Google identified instant messaging and Web email accounts as areas where a Microsoft/Yahoo combination would have an overwhelming market share. In the blog post, Google also questioned whether Microsoft could use its PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors email, [instant messaging] and Web-based services.

One person close to Google said it was concerned that there would be nothing to stop Microsoft, for example, from making Microsoft/Yahoo instant messaging services the first thing consumers saw when they booted up their computers running Microsofts Windows operating system or its Office productivity software.

Microsoft had clearly identified competition from Google as a key reason behind its bid for Yahoo. In a letter to Yahoos board making the offer on Thursday, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the online advertising market is increasingly dominated by one player, a reference to Google.

Together, Microsoft and Yahoo can offer competitive choice while better fulfilling the needs of customers and partners, he added. The two have been largely unsuccessful in their intensive efforts to narrow the gap with Google in Web search market share, and challenge its growing lead in Internet ad sales.

Yahoo has said its board of directors would weigh the Microsoft offer and any alternatives, including keeping Yahoo independent, and pursue the best course of action to maximize long-term value for shareholders. In a statement on its Web site, the company said, a review process like this is fluid, and it can take quite a bit of time.

We believe that the interests of Internet users come first-and should come first-as the merits of this proposed acquisition are examined and alternatives explored, said Google in its blog post.

Microsofts Mr. Smith suggested it was Google whose influence on the Internet was troubling.

Today, Google is the dominant search engine and advertising company on the Web. Google has amassed about 75% of paid search revenues worldwide and its share continues to grow, he said in the email. According to published reports, Google currently has more than 65 percent search query share in the U.S. and more than 85 percent in Europe. Microsoft and Yahoo! on the other hand have roughly 30% combined in the U.S. and approximately 10% combined in Europe.

Mr. Smith concluded: Microsoft is committed to openness, innovation, and the protection of privacy on the Internet. We believe that the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo! will advance these goals. -By Kevin J. Delaney and Don Clark, The Wall Street Journal

谷歌(Google Inc.)和微软(Microsoft Corp.)大打口水战，互相指责对方给互联网行业竞争的良性竞争带来了威胁。

这轮口水战由搜索巨头谷歌首先发动，该公司在周日发表的一篇博客文章中表示，微软主动提出以446亿美元收购雅虎公司(Yahoo! Inc.)“引发了很多令人头疼的问题。”

这篇由谷歌高级副总裁大卫•德拉蒙德(David Drummond)执笔的博文质问微软是否想要故伎重演，试图对互联网也施以不恰当的、非法的影响，一如它在个人电脑行业中表现得那样。这篇文章指责多年来一直饱受美国和欧洲反垄断监管机构诟病的微软“不断地寻求建立垄断──然后再侵蚀新的相关市场，谋求统治地位。”

之后不久，微软就发表声明反驳谷歌的论点。

微软首席法律顾问布莱德•史密斯(Brad Smith)在发给记者的电子邮件声明中说：“微软和雅虎的合并将造就互联网搜索和在线广告方面位居第二的竞争者，从而创造一个更具竞争力的市场。若非如此，互联网行业的竞争只会削弱。”

谷歌认为，微软/雅虎合并后将在即时消息和网页电子邮件帐户方面拥有“压倒性的”市场份额。在博客文章中，谷歌还质疑微软会不会利用其在个人电脑软件上的垄断 势，不公平地限制消费者自由接入竞争对手的电子邮件、即时消息和网络服务。

一位与谷歌关系密切的人士说，谷歌担心，当消费者启动微软的Windows操作系统或Office办公软件时，微软会毫无顾忌地让微软/雅虎的即时消息服务成为他们看到的第一个内容。

微软已经明确地将谷歌的竞争列为促使其收购雅虎的重要原因。在周四发给雅虎董事会提出收购要约的信中，微软首席执行长史蒂夫•巴尔默(Steve Ballmer)表示，在线广告市场“日渐为一家所操纵”，指的就是谷歌。

巴尔默还说：“微软和雅虎联手的话，将可提供具有竞争力的选择，同时更好地满足客户和合作伙伴的需求。”两家公司力图缩小它们在网上搜索市场份额方面与谷歌的差距，并且向谷歌在互联网广告销售方面日渐明显的领先优势发起挑战，但都很不成功。

雅虎表示，其董事会将斟酌微软的提议和其他选择，包括保持雅虎的独立地位，并采取能为股东最大限度实现长期价值的行动。雅虎在其网站上的一份声明中说：“这样的审查程序是随时变化的，可能需要相当长的时间。”

谷歌在其博客文章中说：“我们认为，在审查这桩收购提议的好处、并寻求其他方案的过程中，互联网用户的利益应该是第一位的。”

微软的史密斯则表示，谷歌在互联网行业的影响力才是造成行业困扰的原因。

史密斯在邮件中说：“现在，谷歌是占据统治地位的搜索引擎和互联网广告公司。谷歌聚敛了全世界75%的付费搜索收入，而且其份额还在增长。根据公开报道，谷歌目前在美国占搜索市场65%的份额，在欧洲占85%。另一方面，微软和雅虎加起来的市场份额在美国仅为30%，在欧洲约为10%。”

史密斯最后说：“微软致力于开放、创新、以及保护互联网隐私。我们相信微软和雅虎合并将推动这些目标的实现。”