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A statement released by Brad Smith, senior vice-president and general counsel of Microsoft, calls for the merger to receive "close scrutiny from regulatory authorities to ensure a competitive online advertising market".

Smith claims that between them Google and DoubleClick account for 80% of the ads delivered on the internet. Microsoft is believed to have ducked out of bidding for DoubleClick when the price topped $2bn.

The acquisition has drawn criticism from other industry observers.