EU competition officials probing Google-Yahoo deal

European Union antitrust watchdogs are looking into a planned deal between Internet giants Google Inc and Yahoo Inc to share some advertising revenue. "In mid-July, we decided to open a preliminary investigation on our own initiative into potential effects of the Google-Yahoo agreement on competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) market," said Jonathan Todd, a spokesman for European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. The probe is similar to one in Washington, where the Justice Department is also looking into whether a commercial tie-up between the two companies, which together have 80 percent of the market, would violate antitrust law.