Second big loss Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied her urgent request to further terminate Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The previous temporary ban ended on Saturday 07/15/2023 at 9 am CET.
The FTC’s first loss came on Tuesday, when Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction against Microsoft that would have dragged out the acquisition and could eventually completely destroy it. Now the same decision was made by the Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal. does not prevent Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard until the lawsuit is settled.which is scheduled for August.
“We appreciate the prompt response from the Ninth District, which denied the FTC’s request for a further delay in the acquisition,” the statement said. Microsoft President Brad Smith said. “This brings us one step closer to the finish line in this global regulatory review marathon.” he added.
But Microsoft doesn’t have much time. He previously promised that the acquisition would be completed by July 18 this year. Otherwise, both parties may back out of the deal, and Microsoft must pay a $3 billion fine. Of course, there is still a possibility that they will agree on an extension of the deadline.
Microsoft still has Troble in the UK where the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has postponed its final decision from July 18 to August 29, 2023. It hopes to reach a verdict sooner.
The Internet carries the news that Microsoft is considering selling cloud gaming rights in the UKto allay CMA concerns about the impact on the emerging cloud gaming market.
Meanwhile The UK Competition Court of Appeal (CAT) has scheduled a conference for Monday 17 July 2023., where he will ask Microsoft, Activision and CMA to temporarily suspend the appeal process. The conference will last half a day and is expected to host them. It is here that we should learn the first details about the new solution proposed by Microsoft to address the concerns of the British authorities.
However, experts are inclined to believe that Microsoft will conclude an agreement with Activision Blizzard on Monday or Tuesday. He could now at the weekend, but he wants to make a deal in the UK. The European Union, Japan, and various smaller markets have already approved Xbox’s merger with publisher Call of Duty.
Recall that Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. This is the largest acquisition in the history of the video game industry. Activision Blizzard employs over 17,000 people and owns popular games including Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft or Candy Crush Saga. Plus a lot of titles that have been collecting dust in recent years.
Source :Indian TV
