FTC presses on with appeal after Meta's monopoly battle win

"The appeal keeps alive a high-stakes legal fight over whether Meta unlawfully maintained monopoly power in social networking by acquiring competitors such as Instagram and WhatsApp. In a press release, the FTC reiterated its argument that, for more than a decade, Meta has "illegally maintained a monopoly" by buying "the significant competitive threats it identified in Instagram and WhatsApp." The regulator insists that these acquisitions harmed competition and consumers by neutralising rivals instead of competing with them on merit."

"Meta had won a major victory in November when US District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the FTC had failed to prove Meta currently holds monopoly power in personal social networking services. The court concluded that platforms like TikTok and YouTube provide real competition, undermining the FTC's claim that Meta holds an illegal monopoly. Meta welcomed the decision at the time, asserting that the ruling was "correct" and reflected the "fierce competition" the company faces."

The Federal Trade Commission has filed an appeal of a November court ruling that favored Meta, keeping alive litigation over whether Meta unlawfully maintained monopoly power in personal social networking. The FTC alleges that Meta spent more than a decade acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp to neutralise competitive threats and harm competition and consumers. A district judge previously ruled that the FTC failed to prove current monopoly power, noting competition from platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. The legal challenge began in December 2020 with the FTC and 46 states suing under Section 2 of the Sherman Act alleging a "buy-or-bury" strategy; the complaint was initially dismissed in June 2021 before being revived in amended form later that year.

Read at euronews