The Court of Appeal rejected the request for blocking

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just suffered another crushing defeat in its attempt to stop Microsoft from doing so Buy Activision Blizzard. And the American regulator, after failing to achieve its goals before the District Court, asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, after appealing the judicial setback, to block the agreement by an emergency order until the court announces its final decision.

now, According to BloombergSaid request was denied after Microsoft asked the U.S. Attorney General to stop delaying the agreement. Thus, the purchase could go ahead, but the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently the only regulator blocking the Redmond giant from closing a $68.7 billion deal.

The path is clear towards closing the process

When Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC’s order on Tuesday, she amended the mid-June temporary restraining order that prevented Microsoft and Activision from closing the deal in question. in difference Select this measure would solve the Fri, July 14th at 11:59 p.m (08:59 Spanish Peninsula time) Unless the US regulator obtains an emergency order from the Court of Appeals.

The latter is exactly what the FTC has failed to achieve. The head of Microsoft, Brad Smith, has not been slow to respond to this positive move in favor of the company he represents. “We appreciate the prompt response of the Ninth Circuit in dismissing the FTC’s motion to further delay Activision’s settlement. This brings us one step closer to the finish line in this marathon of global regulatory reviews.” he said on Twitter.

While the appeals process continues in the US, when the temporary restraining order expires (in a few hours), Microsoft will have opportunity to close the deal. However, the CMA’s negative stance is still pending, and recent events seem to indicate that the Redmond giant will not rush to end the process without playing its last cards with the British regulator first.

Sources consulted by Bloomberg indicate Xbox owners will consider selling their UK cloud gaming business to address the CMA’s concerns. Remember, the company and the regulator agreed to stop the ongoing legal battle to start a negotiation session, but restructuring the agreement could lead to the opening of a new investigation.

The truth is, the countdown is underway for those led by Satya Nadella. The initial agreement with Activision says that the purchase must close before July 18th, otherwise it must Pay a fine or renegotiate The deadlines. Now all attention is on what will happen in the UK. Most likely, unless there is an unexpected movement over the weekend, you will get news on Monday.

Images: Microsoft | FTC

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