Activision Appoints Former Lawyer to Queen Elizabeth II for CMA Appeal

Activision hires UK legal heavyweight, Lord David Pannick KC, to lead its appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) following the CMA’s decision to halt Microsoft’s planned acquisition of the company. Pannick, who previously represented clients such as Boris Johnson and Queen Elizabeth II, will be responsible for Activision’s appeal, while UK lawyer Daniel Beard KC handles Microsoft’s. The acquisition was halted due to concerns from the CMA that Microsoft’s market advantage in cloud computing combined with Activision’s vast library of popular games would lead to an unfair advantage against competitors. Activision/Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick voiced his outrage at the decision, while Xbox Game Studios CEO Phil Spencer called it a “disappointing” ruling. The CAT will now decide if the CMA’s decision was lawful, and the move to hire Pannick indicates a prolonged period of discourse and debate is likely.