Will the real monopolist please stand up?

That didn't take long. The lawyers already are issuing statements over the Microsoft bid for Yahoo.

In this corner, we have Dave Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer for Google, with a statement warning that if Microsoft ends up buying Yahoo, it will be the end of openness and innovation on the Web.

And in this corner, we have Brad Smith, General Counsel for Microsoft, warning that a world without a MicroHoo will be a world without true competition on the Internet.

The monopolist slug fest officially has begun. Desktop-operating-system monopolist vs. online-advertising monopolist. Or maybe monopolist of tech worlds past vs. monopolist of tech worlds future? As the New York Times notes, Microsoft has been readying its monopolist-threat arguments since it attempted unsuccessfully to block the Google-DoubleClick merger last year.