Antitrust cases filed against FB by FTC, US states dismissed

WASHINGTON: US judge on Monday dismissed an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook that sought to force the company to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, saying the Federal Trade Commission action was “legally insufficient”.

The judge also dismissed a lawsuit filed by multiple US states in December, saying that they had waited too long and could not challenge acquisitions from so long ago.

A US district court judge for the district of Columbia said the FTC had failed to show that Facebook had monopoly power in the social networking market. The judge said that the FTC could file a new complaint by July 29.