FTC and Meta Spar in Antitrust Case Over Acquisition of VR Developer - PYMNTS.com

In a suit that aims to artifact Meta Platforms’ acquisition of virtual world fittingness app developer Within Unlimited, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reportedly said Meta stopped its plans to physique specified an app itself — thereby stifling contention — portion Meta said it ne'er planned to make a VR fittingness app. 

The 2 parties submitted their filings successful a national tribunal Monday (Nov. 21), Bloomberg reported Tuesday (Nov. 22). 

In the FTC filing, the bureau said the acquisition would interruption antitrust laws by reducing the fig of competitors successful the VR fittingness app market.

The bureau said Meta had hired Within’s caput of product, starring Within to expect that Meta was bringing a merchandise to market, that Meta had already developed a VR crippled and was looking to determination into caller markets, and that it had the engineers to bash so.

An FTC spokesperson declined to remark connected the report, beyond what is said successful the agency’s filing submitted to the court. 

In the Meta filing, the institution said that 2 executives who would person had to o.k. specified a task gave sworn grounds that they had not done so, that the thought of a VR fittingness app had been discarded earlier moving beyond the treatment signifier and that employees had determined that Meta couldn’t physique specified an app, according to the report. 

In a connection provided to PYMNTS, a Meta spokesperson said the VR abstraction is experiencing vibrant contention and that the company’s acquisition of Within “will beryllium bully for people, developers and the VR space.” 

“As we person said from the beginning, the FTC’s lawsuit is based connected ideology and speculation, not evidence,” the Meta spokesperson said. “We are acceptable to marque our lawsuit earlier the Court.” 

In July, PYMNTS reported that the caput of the FTC led a ballot to writer Meta contempt the objections of the commission’s staff.