In the midst of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the Redmond company is facing new legal obstacles. The American judge Michael Chappell has denied Microsoft’s request to obtain additional documents from Sony relating to its purchase of Activision Blizzard, documents that the company considers crucial to its defense in the ongoing legal dispute with the FTC.
According to Microsoft, Sony would hinder the transaction between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, specifying “personalized documents» for the FTC in an attempt to undermine the agreement. The American company claims to have “the right to investigate SIE complaints» and requests specific and limited production of documents related to the agreement.
Sony does not accept the acquisition of Activision by Microsoft
Justice Chappell dismissed the application, arguing that the investigation of these events already concluded in April 2023 and there is no need to continue further. Furthermore, he points out that Microsoft did not request the reopening of the investigation and served Sony with an unauthorized subpoena, which is legally unviable. This prevents Sony from providing the documents requested by the technology company.
This new legal problem adds even more complexity to the process, which is not yet completely closed with the American antitrust authorities. Microsoft now faces the challenge of moving forward with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard while dealing with legal complications along the way. We already told you a few weeks ago that Sony was not stopping its efforts and this is one more example of what was already expected.
