Federal Judge dismissed the FTC's initial antitrust complaint against Facebook. He said it was insufficient legal. The judge stated that the FTC could file an amended complaint within the next 30 day.Judge James Boasberg stated that the FTC needed to present more evidence to support its claim that Facebook is a monopoly. Boasberg stated that the FTC has not presented enough facts to support its Section 2 claims, namely that Facebook holds monopoly power over the market for Personal Social Networking Services (PSN). Except for the plain allegation that Facebook still holds a dominant market share (in excess 60%), the Complaint does not contain any information on this point.Separately, Judge Boasberg dismissed an antitrust suit against Facebook brought by 48 attorneys general. These lawsuits were filed alongside the FTCs and claimed that Facebook had unlawfully stifled competitors. The judge ruled that the case could not proceed because too much time had passed.In December, the FTC and the States filed antitrust allegations against the company. They claimed that the company engaged in anticompetitive behavior by acquiring rivals like WhatsApp and Instagram to try and neutralize companies they considered to be a threat. Also, the cases cited Facebook's dealings in a number of other countries like Snapchat and Vine.Facebook's dismissals are a significant victory. It had claimed that neither the FTC nor the states had an antitrust case. The FTC was accused by the social network of seeking a re-examination for acquisitions it had approved in the past. The judge responded to the FTC suit by noting that the agency has a stronger foundation for scrutinizing acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram.Although it is not clear yet how the FTC would respond, it is not the end of Facebook's antitrust problems. Congress introduced v recently, which would include one that would target major acquisitions such as Facebook's deals for WhatsApp or Instagram. Regulators in the UK, European Union and elsewhere are also investigating the company for antitrust violations.Update, 6/28 at 4:55 PM ET: Facebook released a statement saying it was pleased with the decisions of the judge. We are happy that today's decision recognizes the flaws in the government complaints against Facebook. We fight fair every day to win people's attention and continue to provide great products for those who use our services.
