A number of Republicans within the US Home of Representatives have composed a letter to the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) urging the regulator to drop its ongoing authorized feud with Microsoft relating to the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
The letter, which was addressed to FTC chair Lina Khan and commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya, calls on these three to drop its antitrust case in opposition to Microsoft, requesting the company “return to its lengthy historical past of a wise, consumer-oriented antitrust enforcement.”
“The FTC’s case in opposition to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision is the most recent in a collection of actions which are clearly designed to impede legit mergers and acquisitions, whereas ignoring many years of settled FTC observe throughout Republican and Democratic administrations,” the letter says. “As an alternative of defending competitors as Congress meant, the FTC has spent taxpayer sources searching for to dam a deal that guarantees to broaden shopper alternative and insulate a dominant international firm from competitors.”
Final week, the FTC was denied a preliminary injunction that it tried to get to forestall Microsoft from closing its deal to amass Activision-Blizzard within the US District Courtroom for the Northern District of California. The company then tried to attraction the choice. Nevertheless, the US Courtroom of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the attraction. Regardless of the losses in Federal Courtroom, the FTC remains to be trying to cease Microsoft from closing the deal, because the regulator has scheduled an evidentiary listening to earlier than an Administrative Legislation choose on August 2.
A listening to was held final week by the Home Judiciary Committee held a listening to centered on the FTC. In the course of the listening to, Khan testified earlier than the committee on numerous matters, together with the FTC’s latest loss in opposition to Microsoft. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) accused Khan of losing taxpayer {dollars} and criticizing the FTC’s latest failures in merger trials.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You may observe her on Twitter @TayNixster.
