Yahoo Search Marketing gives up on the fight with Google AdWords and sells itself to Microsoft in a 10 year deal.

Anyone who has ever used the paid search marketing products from Yahoo, MSN, and Google for themselves or clients could have concluded this years ago. Managing a search campaign on AdWords was simple as many tools were specially created to empower the users. Where as users screamed for similar tools from YSM, and MSN AdCenter, they were never delivered.

Any advertiser’s hope is that MSN Bing’s search marketing will deliver on the ease of use that AdWords have come to represent in the search marketing industry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/technology/companies/03yahoo.html