Here we go again.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will appeal a recent US federal court order that removed a hurdle with Microsoft’s planned $69 billion USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
As per The Verge, this appeal means FTC needs the US’ Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an emergency stay on a restraining order that’s set to expire at 11:59 pm PT on 14 July. If that stay isn’t extended, it could mean Microsoft could swoop in and complete the acquisition before the deal deadline of 18 July.
Microsoft would need to sort out issues with the UK’s CMA before the acquisition is finalised; Microsoft said it would pause its appeal with the CMA to negotiate. The CMA overnight said that talks with Microsoft were at an “early stage” and that “a new merger investigation” could be on the cards.
We’ll keep you informed on this matter as it progresses.
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