Archive for May, 2008

Microsoft Yahoo Merger starts Again

Monday, May 19th, 2008 | Microsoft & MSN, Yahoo | No Comments

A potential partnership deal between Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. the companies revealed over the weekend may prove to be a stepping stone to an outright acquisition, analysts said on Monday.

UBS analysts said in a research note that the business discussions between Microsoft and Yahoo could be a prelude to an eventual outright acquisition offer because it was vital for Microsoft to acquire Yahoo on friendly terms.

“A near-term deal could act as an intermediate step that would go a long way toward testing the waters,” UBS wrote.

The brokerage said a Microsoft-Yahoo partnership is likely to focus on search advertising and should be seen as an alternative to a scenario in which Yahoo would outsource to Google Inc. part of its Web search ad sales.

Stifel Nicolas argued that Microsoft may be seeking to buy Yahoo’s search and search-advertising business outright, leaving Yahoo independent but smaller, focused on display advertising and Internet media businesses.

Stifel analysts George Askew and Scott Devitt warned that Yahoo must reach a deal with either Google or Microsoft or face a bruising proxy battle with activist investor Carl Icahn, who is seeking to install his own slate of Yahoo directors.

Icahn launched a proxy campaign last Thursday to replace Yahoo’s board with directors who would reopen talks with Microsoft, saying Yahoo had acted irrationally in refusing the software company’s $47.5 billion bid.

The proxy battle “may ultimately drive a damaged Yahoo into Microsoft’s arms” at around $31 per share, Stifel said.

Microsoft made a $31-per-share cash and stock offer in late January. Earlier this month, Microsoft discussed raising that offer to $33 a share, but backed away after Yahoo management held out for $37 per share.

The software giant’s move to court Yahoo was likely to prompt the Icahn to press Yahoo to further pursue an alliance with Google, a person familiar with the billionaire investor’s thinking told Reuters on Sunday.

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Software Piracy falls in Pakistan & Top 12 Countries

Monday, May 19th, 2008 | Internet News | No Comments

The software piracy rate has slightly dropped in Pakistan from 86 per cent to 84 per cent, after remaining unchanged over the past two years, which would benefit the country in many ways, a latest international study states.

The software piracy rate in Pakistan has come down at a time when globally it recorded a three per cent increase to 38 per cent in 2007, which has increased piracy-related losses to nearly $48 billion against $40 billion in 2006.

The Fifth Annual Global Software Piracy Study, released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) here on Friday, noted that piracy-related losses had gone down to $125 million in Pakistan against $143 million in 2006.

With 84 per cent piracy, Pakistan now ranks 13th among top 25 countries with the highest piracy rates against No 7 last year.

It followed

  1. Armenia (93pc)
  2. Bangladesh (92pc)
  3. Azerbaijan (92pc)
  4. Moldova (92pc)
  5. Zimbabwe (91pc)
  6. Sri Lanka (90pc)
  7. Yemen (89pc)
  8. Libya (88pc)
  9. Venezuela (87pc)
  10. Vietnam (85pc)
  11. Iraq (85pc)
  12. Indonesia (84pc)

Source: Ahmad’s Blog

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