Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following.

 

U.S., Meta spar over date of antitrust trial.  U.S. regulators and Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) are at odds over when to start a high-profile antitrust trial, with the Federal Trade Commission proposing December 2023 and the Facebook parent company asking for more time. According to a joint filing in the U.S. District Court in Washington, the FTC proposed a Dec. 11, 2023, start date to allow time for discovery, including document and data production. Representatives for Meta, which includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, called the proposed schedule “unrealistic as well as unfair to Meta” and said it needed until Feb. 13, 2024, to complete discovery.

 

EU, U.S. trade, technology body to meet May 15-16 in France.  The U.S.-European Union Trade and Technology Council, set up last year to mend strained transatlantic trade relations and help the allied democracies better compete with China, will meet for the second time on May 15-16 in France, EU antitrust chief Vestager said. “This forum is crucial for global leadership across a range of key issues,” Vestager said in a tweet. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai also said the TTC would address shared challenges.

 

Edited by Gary J. Malone

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