IP takes centre stage in failed Microsoft bid for Yahoo!
06 May 2008
Eileen McDermott, New York
Microsoft’s board of directors spent last week deliberating about which approach to take in its bid for Yahoo! – a move that could have significantly boosted the software company’s IP profile – before officially withdrawing its offer on Sunday
In February, Microsoft announced a $44.6 billion unsolicited bid for internet company Yahoo!, which was withdrawn on Sunday when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sent a letter to Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang expressing disappointment over the company’s lack of action on the offer.
Microsoft’s bid was motivated largely by the growing revenues generated from online advertising for companies such as Yahoo! However, the use of trade marked terms as triggers for advertising on the websites of many internet search engines has proved controversial among IP owners, and led to...
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