LONDON (Reuters) - Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) appeal against Britain's veto of its $69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) will go ahead as planned at the end of July after the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) rejected the antitrust regulator's request for a delay.
The Competition and Markets Authority, which blocked the takeover in April, wanted the hearing delayed from July 28 to October to give it more time to prepare and present its case.
But the CAT said: "We consider that the CMA has not paid sufficient heed to the true public interest in this case – which is the swift resolution of Microsoft's Notice."