The Federal Trade Commission’s request for injunctive relief against Microsoft was further denied by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, just two days after the FTC filed an appeal. It caps off a tumultuous week of related legal drama between Microsoft and the FTC as the tech giant was close to closing the deal to buy Activision-Blizzard, first announced more than a year and a half ago.
The presiding judge’s ruling was delivered on Tuesday, July 11, denying the FTC’s injunction. The next day, the FTC appealed the ruling, moving to seek an injunction in the Court of Appeals, which has now been denied. It is very likely that Microsoft will probably complete the deal as early as Monday, July 17th.
Xbox’s parent company should specifically consult with the UK regulator, the CMA. Regulators were particularly concerned about Microsoft’s potential future cloud monopoly.and Internal Notes by Xbox Reader Phil Spencer Spencer said earlier this week that his team was already looking for ways to amend the contract to “address the CMA’s concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA,” so perhaps both parties will be at the event all week. The FTC’s appeal, with which it appears to have been in close contact, was quickly dismissed.
Since it’s the weekend now, it may be correct to expect no further action on this issue until Monday at the earliest. And gamers, as it became clear, don’t expect Call of Duty to come to Xbox Game Pass anytime soon. Won’t be added to Xbox’s subscription library until at least 2025.
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