[ad_1]
A U.S. judge has rejected Facebook’s attempts to retaliate against a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission seeking to force the company to change its purchases on Instagram and WhatsApp.
“Second chance?” launched a statement Tuesday from Judge James Boasberg of Washington, who ruled that the lawsuit, which accuses Facebook of engaging in “anti-competitive practices”, could continue.
Facebook’s refusal is a victory for the FTC after its original case was rejected by Boasberg. last year.
At a time when the judge said the agency had “failed to tell the truth to prove” that the company had sole control over the online marketplace and used the “buy or invest” approach to attract competitors.
However, it gave the FTC an opportunity to change its grievances, its actions, and much more to confirm its claims.
“It simply came to our notice then. . . “It is stronger and more detailed than ever, especially in the case of the so-called defendant,” Boasberg said in a statement.
“The council has also stated that Facebook not only has power, but also that it has deliberately maintained its power by restricting competition – in particular, the purchase of Instagram and WhatsApp,” he said.
The judge also ruled in favor of Facebook, which has changed the company’s name to Meta, that the modified complaints should not be allowed because Lina Khan, the FTC chairman, took part in the regulatory vote.
The company claimed that Khan – the famous Big Tech opponent who was name Writer Joe Biden, US President, to lead the FTC a few weeks before Boasberg issued its first decision – expressed doubts about the company through its previous record as a student.
“While Khan has expressed his views on the sole power of Facebook, these views do not reflect the kind of ‘ax to grind’ based on human hatred or economic differences that led to prosecutors’ failure in the past,” the judge wrote.
However, the judge said he would not allow the FTC to continue claiming that the company had changed its platform policies. banning work from competitors, for this behavior was a thing of the past.
Holly Vedova, FTC’s chief executive officer of the competition, said: “FTC officials have filed serious complaints that have been changed. Now that the district court has rejected Facebook / Meta’s request to resign, we expect the case to proceed.”
Facebook said in a statement: “We hope the evidence will show the seriousness of the allegations. Our payments to Instagram and WhatsApp have changed to what they are today. It has been good for the competition, and good for the people and businesses who choose to use our resources.”
He further added that the judge had reduced the size of the case to a standstill and said the ruling had allowed “the agency to undertake” a “major task” to substantiate their case against the two funds disbursed years ago “.
Doug Melamed, professor of jurisprudence at Stanford University, stated: “The basic problem with the first complaint was that the commercial power of the case was somewhat ambiguous.
“The amendment complaint added a lot and resolved the problems they first encountered. It was clear when the changed complaints were filed to survive the decision to dismiss them.”
But he added that the ruling should not be read as a sign that the FTC will win in cases that would be difficult to confirm. “The complaint is very serious, and the judge found that the FTC could not guarantee all that was required of the case,” he said.
Facebook is due to respond to their complaints by January 25th.
[ad_2]
Source link
