Microsoft's Activision Blizzard buy: What court told FTC

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In a significant legal victory, a California judge has denied the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) preliminary injunction request to block Microsoft’s $68.7bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The decision was handed down by Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in a ruling submitted on January 28. Although Microsoft still faces an ongoing antitrust case from the FTC, Judge Corley has refused the regulator’s request for the preliminary injunction. The judge, who said the scrutiny paid to the acquisition had "paid off," concluded that the FTC had not demonstrated the potential to substantially reduce consumer access to Activision content.

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