FTC does not give up and again blames Microsoft and Activision Blizzard

After a recent ruling against him that prevented a blocking of the purchase Activision Blizzard To Microsoft, FTC He did not stand idly by. This was reported by the US Federal Trade Commission. appeals Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley’s decision before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

At this point, the regulator has not provided details of the arguments on which the appeal is based. In any case, this measure is not particularly surprising, given that he had until 11:59 pm Friday, July 14, to present it. In addition, this administrative move does not necessarily guarantee a change to the judgment released this week.

What does the FTC need now? What the Court of Appeal issue an emergency stay that extends a temporary restraining order which is valid until Friday evening. However, edge reports that it is not clear whether this is possible at all, since it may take longer to issue such an opinion. Therefore, if the court in question does not make a quick decision, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard may close the purchase deal before the new restraining order takes effect.

Recall that the deadlines set by companies to complete the acquisition expires next Tuesday, July 18. So it goes without saying that if the FTC’s appeal is not upheld by the weekend, the $69 billion deal will close between Monday and Tuesday. By now, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s legal teams need to be working around the clock to get everything ready as soon as possible.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard launched darts against the FTC

As expected, there was no shortage of criticism of the FTC’s position and its appeal. Brad Smithpresident of Microsoft and one of the most vocal supporters of the acquisition, posted a brief statement on Twitter. “Yesterday [por el martes]The Court has ruled that our acquisition of Activision Blizzard must continue and we oppose any further delays,” he said. And he assured that Judge Corley’s decision demonstrated that the purchase was “beneficial for both competition and consumers.”

“We are disappointed that the FTC is with what has become a clearly weak case and will resist further efforts to delay the ability to move forward.”

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft.

From Activision’s side, Blizzard also doesn’t miss an opportunity to throw darts at the US Federal Trade Commission. Lulu Cheng Meservycommercial director and vice president of corporate affairs at a California publishing house, also used twitter criticize the regulator.

“The FTC can change the place (again) but not the facts,” he tweeted, referring to the court change needed to appeal. “The facts have not changed. We are confident that the United States will remain among the 39 countries in which the purchase can be closed. We look forward to once again demonstrating the strength of our case in court,” he added.

FTC guide under a magnifying glass

Experts believe that the FTC’s appeal is more of a ploy than a decisive step aimed at overturning Activision Blizzard’s verdict. Federal Trade Commission is under strong legal pressure indeed, there will be a hearing this Thursday in which Lina Khan, its president, will appear before the House Judiciary Committee.

In accordance with ReutersThe officer is expected to receive strong questions. From accusations of the agency’s alleged mismanagement to criticism for recent defeats in its antitrust trials. In addition, questions will be asked about their apparent anti-corporate bias in decision making.

No matter what happens to the FTC, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard Now they’ve set their sights on the UK. There, people from Redmond intend to agree on lifting the blockade of the SMA and receive appropriate approval. However, in the last few hours it has become known that the British regulator will try to launch a new investigation into the agreement, which Redmond representatives would not agree to.