US FTC asks appeals court to pause Microsoft's Activision deal: report

The US Federal Trade Commission on Thursday asked an appeals court to pause Microsoft Corp's $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard Inc while its challenge to the gaming deal is pending, Bloomberg News reported, without citing a source.

Reuters could not confirm the FTC filing and the agency declined to comment.

A US appeals court on the West Coast opened a docket on Thursday on the FTC's effort to overturn its loss, but no docket entries requesting a stay were visible in mid-afternoon.


A federal judge had ruled for Microsoft on Tuesday, saying that the agency had failed to show that the deal would be illegal under antitrust law. The FTC appealed that loss late on Wednesday, and Microsoft has said it would fight that appeal.