The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said the lawsuit, which focuses on Facebook parent company Meta’s acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram, is “not only odd, but old.”
The court argued the states waited too long to bring the lawsuit, which was filed in 2020 and focused on the 2012 and 2014 acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram. Federal regulators at the time approved both acquisitions.
The D.C. circuit court decision also questions the basis of the argument that Meta is violating antitrust laws.
“We note in particular that courts should proceed cautiously when asked to deem novel products or practices anticompetitive,” the decision stated.
“Many innovations may seem anti-competitive at first but turn out to be the opposite, and the market often corrects even those that are anti-competitive,” it added.
The tech giant is still facing a case brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on similar allegations. A judge last January said the FTC’s case could proceed after the agency filed a revised version of its initial complaint.
A Meta spokesperson said in a statement Thursday the appeals court “rightly recognized” that the case “fundamentally mischaracterized the vibrant competitive ecosystem in which we operate” and pledged to continue to fight against the FTC case.
“Moving forward, Meta will defend itself vigorously against the FTC’s distortion of antitrust laws and attacks on an American success story that are contrary to the interests of people and businesses who value our services,” the spokesperson said.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
