US EditionMeta prevails in historic FTC antitrust case, won’t have to break off WhatsApp, Instagram
Judge Boasberg found Meta faces strong competition from TikTok and YouTube, blocking FTC's attempt to force divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp after a five-year case.
- On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the FTC failed to prove Meta holds a monopoly, allowing Meta to keep Instagram and WhatsApp.
- The Federal Trade Commission sued Meta in 2020 alleging it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to eliminate rivals under a 'buy or bury' strategy and sought divestiture to restore competition.
- Testimony during the seven-week trial showed executives and old emails, as Boasberg wrote that people treat TikTok and YouTube as substitutes for Facebook and Instagram, adding the FTC offered no empirical evidence of substitution.
- The ruling spares Meta a breakup and preserves key revenue sources tied to Instagram and WhatsApp, while the FTC can appeal and Meta celebrated, saying the decision recognizes fierce competition.
- The ruling highlights challenges in unwinding historical mergers as regulators face rapidly evolving platforms; James Boasberg noted the online social media landscape has changed since the FTC filed in 2020.
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311 Articles
If Your Antitrust Case Depends On Pretending TikTok Doesn’t Exist, It’s Going To Fail
Last week's dismissal of the FTC's antitrust case against Meta—combined with the earlier limited remedies in the Google search case—demonstrates something that should be obvious by now: antitrust is a pathetically weak tool for increasing competition in digital markets. This isn't an argument against competition. Competition in digital markets matters, desperately. But antitrust enforcement is…
Federal Trade Commission fails to convince judge that Meta monopolizes social media
During her tenure as Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair, Lina Khan famously said that competition authorities should be less afraid to prosecute cases rather than settle them, even if it meant taking losses. Presumably, such strong signals from the FTC and Department of Justice (DOJ) would allow the agencies to play a long game, chipping away at court precedents and demonstrating that a new, more aggressive antitrust regime was here to stay. …
Judge Boasberg Rules Meta Not an Illegal Monopoly
Judge James Boasberg has rejected the FTC's antitrust lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, allowing the company to retain its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. Boasberg is facing articles of impeachment filed this month over his role in the
Meta wins antitrust case, judge rules company does not hold a social media monopoly
A US federal judge dismissed the FTC’s landmark antitrust lawsuit against Meta, ruling the company does not hold a social media monopoly. Judge James Boasberg said Meta faces strong competition from TikTok and YouTube.
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