In December, Microsoft sent a response to the FTC’s complaint, which contained an interesting point that generated a lot of discussion. In its response, Microsoft said the FTC’s approach to the Activision Blizzard merger is unconstitutional and violates Articles II, III and the right to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.
Now it became known that Microsoft has officially abandoned its previous statement. The arguments previously presented in Microsoft’s response are still valid, except for the point about the illegality of the FTC’s claim. David Cuddy, who is Microsoft’s spokesperson for public relations, confirmed that the corporation has dropped this argument and stated that “the FTC has an important mission to protect competition and consumers.”
Recall that now there are pre-trial hearings on the demand of the FTC to block the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. If the parties do not resolve the situation in the near future, a full consideration of the transaction in court will begin.
