Just in case anyone else is browsing around on a Sunday afternoon, here's a link to the official Google blog entry commenting on the potential impact of a Microsoft-Yahoo deal.

Posted a few hours ago by David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer, it's more or less what you might expect Google's position to be: The merger, Drummond says, is more than just another big corporate deal: it threatens "the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation."

Drummond references the Microsoft antitrust case, notes the huge combined Internet presence of the two companies, and poses the question: "Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and web-based services?"

Clearly such a merger would pose a major threat to Google as a business, and the alarmist tone of the comments might be a little over the top. But I don't think anyone wants to see fewer Internet titans competing and innovating. For more analysis on the week's big story, see my colleague Tom Spring's thoughts on the possible impact of a Microsoft-Yahoo merger and PCW Editor in Chief Harry McCracken's take on the deal.