Microsoft To Hire Top Lawyer To Take on The UK’s Competition WatchDog

Microsoft has hired a top lawyer who has previously repeatedly defeated the EU to attempt to get the UK to change their mind on blocking the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft Hiring Top Lawyer To Appeal UK Competition Watchdog

Last month the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority blocked Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard which Microsoft aims to appeal and by doing so they have brought in the big guns. According to reports from Yahoo, The company has hired Daniel Beard KC who has an extensive history of taking the EU to court and previously has overturned billion Euro fines against both Intel and Apple. Daniel Beard has a solid enough track record that it is entirely possible he will be able to turn this deal around for Microsoft and Activision. The appeal is expected to take several months which will take it beyond the July deadline for the completion of the deal.

US And EU Decisions?

So far we have only seen the UK’s market authority decision on the deal and have yet to hear the EU and US decisions. Supposedly the EU is looking like they are set to agree to the deal based on the commitment from Microsoft to keep games such as Call of Duty available on other consoles and will make their decision in the next two weeks. On the US side of the deal its not looking so great as regulators have launched a legal challenge to the deal.

It looks as though we still have a long way to go before seeing the outcome of this deal. What are your opinions?