The FTC to stop Microsoft’s efforts to acquire Activision Blizzard again ended in failure. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the FTC’s request [PDF], meaning that Microsoft can accelerate the Blizzard acquisition in the United States to the ground.
▲ Figure source Microsoft
The matter as follows:
At the end of June, Microsoft and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a hearing to present their respective final arguments on the Activision Blizzard acquisition.
On July 11, California Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction, allowing Microsoft to complete the deal.
On July 13, the FTC appealed the decision.
On July 14th, Microsoft responded that "this doesn't change anything."The FTC appealed the court’s decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, requesting that the judgment be reversed, preventing Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard, and requesting an extension of the existing temporary restraining order, although these requests were denied by the Ninth Circuit.
The FTC’s existing temporary restraining order expires at midnight Pacific time this Friday, after which it means Microsoft can legally acquire Activision Blizzard in the US.
