The FTC strategy regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard from Microsoftwhich the commission is trying to block by taking the Redmond home to court, has been settled much by an antitrust expert.
Not just any guy, but Douglas Melamed, a professor at the Stanford Law School and specialized in antitrust law, who moreover he defeated Microsoft himself several years ago on this ground. Speaking to Straight Arrow News, Melamed said he was extremely skeptical of the actions taken by the Federal Trade Commission, which as we know has decided to take Microsoft to court, as they are based on scant evidence.
“I honestly think it’s crazy,” said the expert. “In my opinion, if you lose cases, what Congress will think is that you have filed flimsy cases or you don’t know how to deal with them.”
As mentioned, Melamed speaks from direct experience, given that in the 90s it led an antitrust case against Microsoft which proved successful and forced the company to reach an agreement in order to operate in certain areas.
The European body also expressed support for this position, dissenting on the reasons given by the FTC regarding the blocking of the acquisition.
