Star-crossed love

Facing protest from just about every corner, Yahoo and Google have agreed to delay their sponsored search ad deal until after the Department of Justice (DoJ) completes a full review.

"The companies have agreed to a brief delay in implementing this agreement to continue our ongoing discussions with the Department of Justice," Yahoo stated. "We have had discussions with regulators and look forward to responding to their questions about this agreement."

The deal, which would enable Google to sell sponsored search advertising across Yahoo's search pages on a non-exclusive basis, was announced in June. The pair opted to withhold executing the arrangement until October, at which point their plans would move forward "with or without approval," according to Google CEO Eric Schmidt (via Advertising Age).

But plans have changed amidst the prospect of costly, ongoing legal battles between the two search giants and rivals concerned about their monopoly on the market. (Together, Yahoo and Google serve about 80 percent of all searches in the US.)

The time it takes to complete a review satisfactorily is at the DoJ's discretion. However, not all government entities are against the deal. Last month 11 Democratic Congress members from California sent the DoJ a letter, urging it to push the deal through.