Just when Microsoft's buyout of Activision seemed to finally be near complete, the Federal Trade Commission said it will revive its attempt to block the $69 billion deal in an adjudicative process. The FTC plans to restart its in-house trial against Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar acquisition of the Call of Duty maker. This effort by the FTC is unlikely to be anything more than a nuisance for Microsoft. It already received EU approval over the summer when the European Commission endorsed the deal as long as the tech giant could ensure “full compliance with commitments.” And more recently, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority issued a preliminary approval of the merger. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick called it “a significant milestone for the merger” in a statement and said he remains optimistic that the deal will complete soon. The CMA's consultation on Microsoft's proposed changes is expected to be complete by October 6, just days ahead of the October 18 deadline for the CMA’s review process. Normally, the FTC typically drops its challenges to deals when efforts are lost in federal court and despite the agency’s effort, this move will not delay the deal from going through. The likely worst-case scenario for Microsoft would be divestiture. Being forced to sell Activision or parts of it after the fact would not be ideal, but at least short term there seems to be little chance of the FTC derailing things. The agency’s failed attempt to... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2023-09-28 16:28:44 UTC ]
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 26/05/2011 - 13:52 Press Books m.d. John Bond is leaving HarperCollins by the end of June "following a mutual agreement" between himself and HC c.e.o. Victoria Barnsley. The division, which comprises Fourth Estate and HarperPress, will be run by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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