Sony Accuses Microsoft of Harassment Over Document Requests in Activision Acquisition Case

In a recent development, Sony has labelled Microsoft's demands for documents related to the US Federal Trade Commission's investigation into the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard as a clear case of harassment. According to reports by Axios, Microsoft had submitted a request to access documents related to seven high-ranking Sony executives as part of the case, following a subpoena filed in mid-January. Microsoft stated that it had made a reasonable request for Sony to collect documents from designated custodians during the negotiation period, including written requests on January 26 and 31. However, Sony rejected these requests, and Microsoft claimed that Sony had not completed the collection process for any of the custodians, including Sony's president and CEO, Jim Ryan. In response, Sony argued that collecting, processing, reviewing, and producing the high volume of documents related to the seven individuals would be overly burdensome. Furthermore, Sony characterized Microsoft's demand for performance reviews of its leadership as obvious harassment, drawing parallels with employment cases where courts require a specific showing of relevance before production of personnel files is mandated. The FTC's lawsuit to block Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, filed in December, is ongoing. The deal is also under scrutiny in the UK, where the Competitions and Markets Authority has provisionally found that the acquisition could lead to reduced competition in console and cloud gaming. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently commented on the situation, stating that regulatory bodies lack understanding of the industry and that rejecting the $69 billion deal could have severe consequences for the UK's gaming industry.