Fb once more asks decide to dismiss U.S. lawsuit to power sale of Instagram, WhatsApp By Reuters

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Fb Inc requested a decide on Monday to dismiss the U.S. authorities’s revised antitrust case that seeks to power the social media large to promote Instagram and WhatsApp after he threw out an earlier model in June.

Fb (NASDAQ:) mentioned in a court docket submitting that the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) had failed to offer a “believable factual foundation for branding Fb an illegal monopolist.” The corporate added it seems the FTC “had no foundation for its bare allegation that Fb has or had a monopoly.”

The FTC’s amended criticism filed in August including extra element on its accusation the social media firm crushed or purchased rivals and once more requested Decide James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court docket for the District of Columbia.

Boasberg dominated in June that the FTC’s unique criticism filed in December failed to offer proof that Fb had monopoly energy within the social-networking market.

The FTC argued at size in its revised criticism that Fb dominates the U.S. private social networking market with greater than 65% of month-to-month energetic customers since 2012.

Fb submitting mentioned the FTC’s criticism was “at odds with the business actuality of intense competitors with surging rivals like TikTok and scores of different engaging choices for customers.”

The FTC voted 3-2 alongside occasion strains in August to file the amended lawsuit and denied Fb’s request that company chair Lina Khan be recused.

Fb on Monday mentioned the court docket ought to dismiss the criticism as a result of Khan’s “participation within the determination to file the (amended criticism) violates due course of and federal ethics guidelines.” It referred to as the revised criticism “invalid” due to Khan’s failure to recuse herself.

An FTC spokesperson didn’t instantly remark.

The company additionally in August repeated its request {that a} court docket order Fb to promote Instagram, which it purchased in 2012 for $1 billion, and WhatsApp, which it purchased in 2014 for $19 billion.

“The FTC’s fictional market ignores the aggressive actuality: Fb competes vigorously with TikTok, iMessage, Twitter (NYSE:), Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube, and numerous others to assist individuals share, join, talk or just be entertained,” a Fb spokesperson mentioned. “The FTC can not credibly declare Fb has monopoly energy as a result of no such energy exists.”