signor_john - 7:03 pm on Nov 23, 2009 (gmt 0)

According to a story [ft.com] in the FINANCIAL TIMES, Microsoft and News Corp. are talking about a deal where Microsoft would pay Rupbrt Murdoch's News Corp. to opt out of Google News. The story adds that the same deal could be offered to other publishers, with the goal being a "direct attack on Google's margins."

Is this ethical? Is it even legal? To me, it sounds like Budweiser going into a bar and telling the owner, "We'll pay you not to serve Miller." (As opposed "We'll pay you to serve Bud in addition to Miller.") Considering Microsoft's past problems on the antitrust and restraint-of-trade front, is it a smart move or a dumb one?