Google, Microsoft wage proxy battle via media outlets

Google claims Microsoft is taking over lawsuits and complaints brought by third parties to stir up antitrust complaints against them.

It's become clear that our competitors are scouring court documents around the world looking for complaints against Google into which they can inject themselves, learn more about our business practices, and use that information to develop a broader antitrust complaint against us, a Google spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal, in a story published Monday.

Google filed suit against a small Internet site in Ohio late last year, in an effort to collect $335,000 in unpaid advertising bills.

In response, last month, the site countered with a 24-page antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the search giant of various monopolistic abuses, according to the report.

Interestingly enough, the site's legal counsel just so happens to be Charles Rick Rule -- the longtime chief outside counsel on competition issues for Microsoft Corp.

In a recent blog post, Google discussed Microsoft's ties to two European Websites that have filed antitrust complaints against Google with the European Commission.

Although the search giant did not come out and directly accuse Microsoft of being involved in , the implication that Microsoft was somehow involved was broadly understood.

Meanwhile, TheStreet.com suggests that the fear of a global conspiracy by Microsoft led Google to plant to story in The Journal as part of a pre-emptive media campaign.

Google claims that Microsoft is launching a 'proxy war' using this collection of little cases to slowly build up a big case, the report said.

To retaliate, Google is using the Wall Street Journal as its own proxy for a court of law and taking its case against Microsoft straight to the public.