Facebook-Owner Meta Sets Out Grounds for UK Appeal on Giphy Sale

Meta said the CMA had failed to assess its offer to ensure Giphy could continue to provide services to competitors.

By Reuters | Updated: 6 January 2022 10:11 IST

Meta, formerly Facebook, acquired for a reported $400 million (roughly Rs. 2,980 crore) in May 2020

Highlights

It was the first time British regulator had blocked a digital acquisition
The Competition Appeal Tribunal on Wednesday published a summary
The CMA ordered Meta to sell Giphy

Facebook-owner Meta has applied to appeal a British competition watchdog ruling that it must sell Giphy on grounds that include challenging the finding that the deal removed a potential competitor in display advertising.

Meta said last month it had lodged an appeal against the decision by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to block its 2020 acquisition of Giphy.

It was the first time the British regulator had blocked a major digital acquisition, and it signalled a step change in its scrutiny of "big tech" companies.

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The Competition Appeal Tribunal on Wednesday published a summary of Meta's application, outlining its challenge on six grounds.

The US company, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp as well as Facebook, said the CMA had failed to assess its offer to ensure Giphy could continue to provide services to competitors like Snapchat and TikTok on the same terms.

The regulator's decision was also procedurally flawed, Meta said.

Facebook Owner Meta Is Being Asked to Sell Giphy It Acquired Last Year

The CMA ordered Meta to sell Giphy, which it acquired for a reported $400 million (roughly Rs. 2,980 crore) in May 2020, in November after it decided the remedies offered by the US company did not answer its concerns.

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