Two weeks after the Federal Trade Commission opened an anti-trust investigation into Google’s proposed acquisition of online ad company DoubleClick, The Wall Street Journal reports that the FTC plans to examine deals by Microsoft and Yahoo! as well.

According to The Journal, the agency will scrutinize Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Aquantive – the largest deal in Microsoft’s history, at $6bn – and Yahoo!’s $680m deal for Right Media. Like DoubleClick, Aquantive and Right Media specialize in online advertising and marketing. As of this afternoon, Microsoft and Yahoo! did not respond to inquiries.

There’s a certain irony to the development, considering that it was Microsoft that so vehemently called for an FTC investigation in the wake of the Google-DoubleClick deal.®

Related stories

• Microsoft's Vista push probed by Fair Trade Commission (18 August 2008)
• EU Google-DoubleClick probe calls for Google-DoubleClick probe (13 November 2007)
• Microsoft chiefs at odds on Google-DoubleClick (3 October 2007)
• Google to save mankind through DoubleClick deal (28 September 2007)
• FTC: Web scam artists pilfered $24.7m from American businesses (15 August 2007)
• Microsoft gunning for online ads audience (14 August 2007)
• Techies blast big media over copyright warnings (2 August 2007)
• Google calls for court to tighten Microsoft's anti-trust leash (26 June 2007)
• Yahoo! buys! Rivals! (21 June 2007)
• Supremes back Wall Street on dot com era ladder deals (19 June 2007)
• FTC aQuantive probe is 'routine', Microsoft says (15 June 2007)
• Microsoft squares up to Google with $6bn buy (18 May 2007)
• LogoWatch DoubleClick redefines the rainbow paradigm (1 May 2007)
• Privacy activists attempt block of Google's purchase of DoubleClick (25 April 2007)
• Web 2.0 Expo Google's Schmidt dismisses DoubleClick envy (17 April 2007)
• Microsoft unhappy with Google DoubleClick marriage (16 April 2007)
• Google buys DoubleClick for $3.1bn cash (14 April 2007)