A federal judge last week rejected the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) attempt to block Meta's acquisition of virtual reality (V.R.) company Within Unlimited. According to Reuters, an FTC official said the agency had not decided if it would take the case before an in-house administrative law judge.
While the FTC was stymied in its efforts, it's worth examining the legal theory the FTC deployed to stop the acquisition. The FTC argued that if Meta did not purchase Within Unlimited, the tech giant might one day create its own VR product to compete with the startup. The government argued that it had a legitimate interest in fostering future competition by blocking the deal.
