Several Republicans within the US House of Representatives have composed a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging the regulator to drop its ongoing authorized feud with Microsoft concerning 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 newest in a collection of actions which are clearly designed to impede reliable mergers and acquisitions, whereas ignoring a long time of settled FTC observe throughout Republican and Democratic administrations,” the letter says. “Instead of defending competitors as Congress supposed, the FTC has spent taxpayer sources looking for to dam a deal that guarantees to broaden client alternative and insulate a dominant international firm from competitors.”
Last 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 Court for the Northern District of California. The company then tried to enchantment the choice. However, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the enchantment. Despite the losses in Federal Court, the FTC continues to be making an attempt to cease Microsoft from closing the deal, because the regulator has scheduled an evidentiary listening to earlier than an Administrative Law choose on August 2.
A listening to was held final week by the House Judiciary Committee held a listening to centered on the FTC. During the listening to, Khan testified earlier than the committee on a variety of matters, together with the FTC’s current loss in opposition to Microsoft. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) accused Khan of losing taxpayer {dollars} and criticizing the FTC’s current failures in merger trials.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can observe her on Twitter @TayNixster.
