FTC v. Microsoft: all the news from the big Xbox courtroom battle
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We’ve been waiting on this one. The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) is handling Microsoft’s appeal of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) ruling on its proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition. Things are now starting to get moving at the CAT.
A case management conference has been called for Monday July 17th at 2:30PM UK time “to consider the application made jointly by all parties to adjourn these proceedings pending further discussions between the CMA and Microsoft.”
Both the CMA and Microsoft have agreed to pause their legal battles to negotiate how the transaction might be modified in order to address the CMA’s cloud gaming concerns.
Earlier today the CMA issued a notice of extension for its overall investigation into the deal, moving the date for a final order from July 18th to August 29th. The extension arrived just hours after Bloomberg reported that Microsoft is considering selling its UK cloud-gaming rights to a telecommunications, gaming, or internet company to allow the Activision deal to close with the CMA.
The CAT’s case management conference could reveal some details on what Microsoft is proposing, but it’s also possible that Microsoft will have closed its Activision Blizzard deal by then — providing the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals doesn’t extend a temporary restraining order (TRO) that’s currently preventing Microsoft from closing its deal until 11:59PM PT tonight.
All eyes are now firmly on Monday.
