The company could face trial again after Microsoft’s recent victory in US federal court against the Federal Trade Commission.The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has moved appeal A recent court order ruled that the FTC’s sought temporary injunction against Microsoft should not be granted.
according to reports The Verge, the FTC has filed a notice that the commission is appealing Judge Jacqueline Scott Corey’s decision. The FTC’s full rebuttal to this decision will not be revealed until the appeal is filed with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The news comes just one day after Microsoft won its legal battle with the FTC and finally Judge Corley ruled that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard would not “significantly reduce competition” in the gaming industry. announced a day later.
Judge Corey said in his ruling, “The court has found that the FTC has not shown a likelihood of success on the argument that this particular vertical integration in this particular industry could materially weaken competition. did,” he said. “On the contrary, documentary evidence shows that consumer access to Call of Duty and other of his Activision content is on the rise.”
If the FTC had prevailed in this case, Microsoft would have been issued an injunction and trading would have been temporarily suspended pending the conclusion of the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, which is set to begin on August 2nd. deaf. As it stands, the FTC needs to persuade the Ninth Circuit. An appeal seeking the issuance of an emergency injunction to extend the current temporary injunction that expires on Friday, July 14. If the Court of Appeals does not rule by the July 18th transaction deadline, Microsoft could successfully complete the transaction on July 14th, 2020. It plans to acquire Activision Blizzard as early as next week.
Xbox Gaming CEO Phil Spencer appeared optimistic about the future of the deal in a series of tweets issued shortly after the court’s ruling, stating, “The evidence is that a deal with Activision Blizzard is good for the industry. and demonstrates the FTC’s claims regarding console switching and multiplayer.” Gaming subscription services and clouds do not reflect the reality of the gaming market. Since we first announced this deal, our commitment to bringing more games to more people on more devices has gone from strength to strength. We have signed multiple contracts to provide his Activision Blizzard services. Games, Xbox First Party Games, and Game Pass are all available to more players than they are today. We know players around the world are following this incident closely and are proud of our efforts to expand player access and choice through this initiative. ”
When GameSpot reached out to Activision Blizzard regarding the FTC’s appeal, a representative for the company said, “The facts have not changed. We are confident that the United States will remain among the 39 countries whose mergers may be completed. We look forward to strengthening the Again about our case in court. ”
Even if the ongoing battle with the FTC turns in Microsoft’s favor, Microsoft still has some hurdles to clear. The company remains under the scrutiny of the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is working to block the deal over concerns about its impact on the cloud gaming market. However, following the latest ruling, the CMA said it was open to renegotiating its current position.
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