Corporate lawyers are reportedly gearing up to defend the Microsoft Activision deal in court, should the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) file an anti-trust lawsuit. That’s according to Bloomberg’s sources, who revealed that the companies have yet to offer concessions to the FTC in order to get the deal approved. In UK and rest of Europe, Microsoft has reportedly offered to make concessions given regulators’ concerns about the acquisition.
Microsoft Activision deal faces legal challenges
From the sound of things, Politico’s recent report that the FTC is considering filing an anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft and Activision Blizzard might be true. In Sweden, the companies have already been sued over the deal, and European and UK regulators are showing no signs of backing down.
That said, Bloomberg analysts believe that Microsoft might win the battle in U.S. courts, with the only impact being a delay in closing the acquisition.
This report comes a week after Activision Blizzard’s EVP of Corporate Affairs and CCO Lulu Cheng Meservey tweeted that the company wouldn’t hesitate to go to court if regulators block the deal. It’s unclear if Meservey was specifically referring to the U.S. or the UK and EU as well.
The only thing clear at the moment is that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard isn’t going to be straightforward by any means.
