Trump's FTC antitrust cops just got a loud warning about blocking tech tie-ups

Thu, May 8, 2025, 6:42 AM 3 min read

President Trump's antitrust cops astatine the Federal Trade Commission conscionable received a large informing astir attempts to artifact immoderate aboriginal exertion mergers.

It came arsenic the FTC connected Wednesday mislaid a astir three-year-long effort to undo Microsoft's (MSFT) $69 cardinal acquisition of gaming elephantine Activision Blizzard connected grounds that the woody violated antitrust law.

A three-judge sheet for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals made it wide that regulators request to amusement evidence, and not solely a theory, that a necktie up volition origin existent harm to competition.

They ruled that the FTC failed to amusement that Microsoft would withhold from rivals Activision's wide fashionable video crippled "Call of Duty," nor that the tie-up would trim contention successful unreality gaming.

"Given the FTC's nonaccomplishment to marque an capable showing arsenic to its likelihood of occurrence connected the merits arsenic to immoderate of its theories, the territory tribunal decently denied the FTC's question for a preliminary injunction connected that basis," Circuit Judge Daniel P. Collins wrote successful a 40-page decision.

The unanimous determination pushes backmost connected a wide antitrust enforcement nett formed by the Trump and Biden administrations to reign successful Big Tech, adjacent arsenic national prosecutors proceed antitrust litigation against Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Apple (APPL), and Meta (META).

The authorities has been palmy successful arguing that Google illegally monopolizing the wide hunt motor marketplace and used amerciable tactics to artifact contention successful markets wherever online advertisements are bought and sold.

The Trump medication is presently asking judges to approve a breakup of Google's empire to remedy the monopoly behavior.

Microsoft closed connected its woody to get Activision, the largest crippled steadfast successful North America, successful October 2023 aft a California national territory tribunal declined to assistance the FTC a impermanent injunction to halt the deal.

In summation to the deed “Call of Duty” franchise, the institution besides offers “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo,” and “Overwatch.” The steadfast besides owns mobile crippled steadfast King, the institution down “Candy Crush.”

Adding those franchises to Microsoft’s existing titles, including “Halo” and “Forza,” catapulted Microsoft past Nintendo (NTDOY) to marque the institution the second-largest location console shaper by gross down Sony (SONY).

It besides enactment Microsoft down Tencent and Sony arsenic the third-largest gaming institution by planetary revenue.

The FTC re-upped a situation to the merger successful a suit filed successful the agency's in-house court, contempt the information that the appellate tribunal denied its petition for an injunction to intermission the merger.