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`
`
`Rakesh N. Kilaru (pro hac vice)
`Anastasia M. Pastan (pro hac vice)
`Jenna Pavelec (pro hac vice)
`WILKINSON STEKLOFF LLP
`2001 M Street NW, 10th Floor
`Washington, DC 20036
`Telephone: (202) 847-4000
`Facsimile: (202) 847-4005
`rkilaru@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`apastan@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`jpavelec@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`
`Valarie C. Williams (Bar No. 335347)
`Tania Rice (Bar No. 294387)
`Alston & Bird LLP
`5600 Mission Street, Suite 2100
`San Francisco, CA 94105
`Telephone: (415) 243-1000
`Fax: (415) 243-1001
`valarie.williams@alston.com
`tania.rice@alston.com
`
`Counsel for Defendant Microsoft Corp.
`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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`NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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`SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
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`
`DANTE DEMARTINI, CURTIS BURNS, JR.,
`
`NICHOLAS ELDEN, JESSIE GALVAN,
`CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH GIDDINGS-
`LAFAYE, STEVE HERRERA, HUNTER
`JOSEPH JAKUPKO, DANIEL DERMOT
`ALFRED LOFTUS, BEOWULF EDWARD
`OWEN, and IVAN CALVO-PEREZ,
`
`Plaintiffs,
`
`v.
`
`MICROSOFT CORPORATION, a
`Washington Corporation,
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MICROSOFT
`CORPORATION’S NOTICE OF MOTION
`AND MOTION TO STAY CASE;
`MEMORANDUM OF POINTS &
`AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT THEREOF
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`Date: February 16, 2023, or sooner if
`possible
`Time: 10:00 a.m.
`Location: Courtroom 8 – 19th Floor
`Judge: Hon. Jacqueline Scott Corley
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`Defendant.
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 2 of 13
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`
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`NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION
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`TO ALL PARTIES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNSEL OF RECORD:
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`PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on February 16, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. or as soon thereafter as
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`this Motion may be heard in Courtroom 8 of the United States District Court for the Northern
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`District of California, located at 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, Defendant
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`Microsoft Corporation will, and hereby does, move this Court for an order staying all proceedings
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`in this case pending the completion of any regulatory proceedings that would prevent Microsoft
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`and Activision Blizzard King from closing their proposed transaction.
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`The motion will be made based on this Notice of Motion and Motion, the Memorandum of
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`Points and Authorities herein, the accompanying Declaration of Rakesh Kilaru, all other papers
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`and pleadings on file in this action, and any other written or oral argument or evidence that
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`Microsoft might present to the Court.
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`REQUESTED RELIEF
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`Microsoft requests that the Court exercise its discretion to stay all proceedings in this case.
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 3 of 13
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`MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES
`
`INTRODUCTION
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`Microsoft respectfully requests that the Court stay this case. Plaintiffs’ lawsuit has only
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`one purpose: to enjoin Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. Though
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`Plaintiffs do not mention it, thirteen days before they filed their complaint, the Federal Trade
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`Commission (“FTC”) filed an administrative complaint seeking the same relief. See Ex. C, Docket
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`in In re Microsoft/Activision Blizzard, FTC No. 9412; Ex. A, FTC Complaint (Dec. 8, 2022). Both
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`Plaintiffs and the FTC allege that the proposed acquisition would lessen competition in the video
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`game industry in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act. The only practical distinction between
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`the complaints is Plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction, whereas the FTC presently is not.
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`There is nothing to preliminarily enjoin. For almost a year, Microsoft and Activision have
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`been working cooperatively with regulators around the world, including the FTC, to obtain the
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`necessary approvals to close the transaction. Microsoft and Activision have tried to expedite those
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`processes as much as possible, because the transaction agreement imposes a termination date of
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`July 18, 2023. See Ex. H, Microsoft/Activision Merger Agreement (Jan. 18, 2022), at 84. But
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`many of those regulatory reviews remain ongoing. Among them are the European Commission
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`(“EC”), which will review the transaction until at least April 11, 2023, and the United Kingdom’s
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`Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”), which will be examining the transaction until at
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`least April 26, 2023. The transaction will not close while these and certain other regulatory reviews
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`remain open, and those reviews could result in remedies that would “shape the litigation.” South
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`Austin Coal. Cmty. Council v. SBC Commc’ns, Inc., 191 F.3d 842, 844 (7th Cir. 1999)
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`(Easterbrook, J.). Further, the FTC has indicated that it may pursue a preliminary injunction to
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`stop the transaction from closing pending the outcome of its lawsuit.
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`There is accordingly no reason to litigate this case right now. Microsoft is already litigating
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`the issues presented here in front of the FTC, with the possibility of preliminary injunction
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`proceedings involving the FTC if they become necessary. And Microsoft is at least several months
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`away from being able to close the transaction. Judicial economy thus favors staying this action,
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`to avoid needless and duplicative litigation and the risk of inconsistent rulings on identical issues
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 4 of 13
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`of fact and law between this case and the FTC proceeding.
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`Microsoft accordingly requests that the Court stay these proceedings pending the
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`completion of any regulatory proceedings that would prevent Microsoft and Activision from
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`closing their proposed transaction.
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`STATEMENT OF ISSUES TO BE DECIDED
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`Whether to stay all proceedings in this case pending the completion of any regulatory
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`proceedings that would prevent Microsoft and Activision from closing their proposed transaction.
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`STATEMENT OF FACTS
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`This case involves a proposed transaction between the third-place manufacturer of gaming
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`consoles and one of many publishers of popular video games. Defendant Microsoft competes in
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`gaming through its Xbox division. Xbox started behind Nintendo and Sony when it began making
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`consoles 20 years ago, and it remains in third place today. Xbox also has next to no presence in
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`mobile gaming, the fastest-growing segment of gaming and the place where 94% of gamers spend
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`their time today. And Xbox and Activision are just two of hundreds of game publishers, who
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`compete by providing different types of games on different platforms at different prices, ranging
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`On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced its agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard
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`King (“Activision”). Microsoft’s vision for the transaction is simple: Xbox wants to grow its
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`presence in mobile gaming, and three quarters of Activision’s gamers and more than a third of its
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`revenues come from mobile offerings. Xbox believes it is good business to make Activision’s
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`limited portfolio of popular games more accessible to consumers, by putting them on more
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`platforms and making them more affordable. That includes making Call of Duty, one of
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`Activision’s most popular games, more broadly available. Microsoft made this public pledge on
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`the day the deal was announced. Since then, Xbox has agreed to provide the game to Nintendo
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`(which does not currently have it) and has offered to continue making the game available to Sony
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`for ten years.
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`Microsoft and Activision’s agreement imposes a termination date of July 18, 2023. See
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`Ex. H at 84. Because of that deadline, Microsoft and Activision have been working diligently to
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 5 of 13
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`ensure that they have regulatory approval to proceed with the acquisition.
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`From the moment the deal was announced, Microsoft and Activision have been working
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`cooperatively with regulators around the world to address any competition-related concerns about
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`the transaction. Among others, Microsoft has been engaging with the EC and the CMA to obtain
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`their clearance for the transaction. Both the EC’s and CMA’s review periods are ongoing and will
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`continue for at least several more months: the EC’s current deadline for completing review is
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`April 11, 2023, and the CMA’s deadline is April 26, 2023. See Ex. F, European Commission
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`Docket Notice (Nov. 18, 2022); Ex. G, Competition & Markets Authority Notice of Extension
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`(Jan. 5, 2023). Microsoft cannot close the transaction while these and certain other foreign
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`The FTC also began reviewing the transaction when it was announced. On December 8,
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`2022, the FTC filed a complaint against Microsoft and Activision before the agency’s
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`Administrative Law Judge, alleging that the proposed acquisition violated federal antitrust laws.
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`See Ex. A, FTC Complaint (Dec. 8, 2022). The FTC is seeking to prohibit Microsoft and
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`Activision from combining their businesses (except as approved by the Commission) or any other
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`relief appropriate to remedy the alleged anticompetitive effects of the acquisition. Trial is currently
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`scheduled for August 2, 2023. See Ex. E, FTC Scheduling Order (Jan. 4, 2023). Given the time
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`constraints on closing the deal, the parties agreed to an expedited discovery timeline, with fact
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`discovery scheduled to close on April 7, 2023. See id. The parties agreed to that schedule to
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`accommodate a possible preliminary injunction proceeding by the FTC. Specifically, if Microsoft
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`obtains the necessary regulatory approvals abroad to close the transaction, expedited discovery
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`will increase the likelihood that any preliminary injunction proceeding can be litigated and
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`resolved by July 18, 2023.
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`Against that regulatory backdrop, and just weeks after the FTC filed its complaint,
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`Plaintiffs, a group of 10 individual gamers, filed this lawsuit and simultaneously moved for a
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`preliminary injunction to block the proposed transaction. Like the FTC, Plaintiffs allege that the
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`proposed acquisition would lessen competition in various markets within the video game industry
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`in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act. And Plaintiffs seek precisely the same relief—to
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`-4-
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 6 of 13
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`
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`block the proposed transaction.
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`ARGUMENT
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`I.
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`This Court should enter a stay of further proceedings in this case.
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`This Court has the “discretionary power to stay proceedings.” Lockyer v. Mirant Corp.,
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`398 F.3d 1098, 1109 (9th Cir. 2005) (citing Landis v. North American Co., 299 U.S. 248, 254
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`(1936)). In determining whether a stay is appropriate, courts consider (i) the “possible damage”
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`that may result if the stay is granted; (ii) the “hardship or inequity” that may result if the stay is
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`denied; and (iii) the “orderly course of justice measured in terms of the simplifying or complicating
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`of issues, proof, and questions of law which could be expected to result from a stay.” Id. at 1110.
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`Applying those factors, courts in this district “routinely” grant stays “where there are
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`overlapping issues of fact or law” raised in another pending case. Vance v. Google LLC, No. 5:20-
`
`CV-04696-BLF, 2021 WL 534363, at *3 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 12, 2021); see, e.g., Noble v. JP Morgan
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`Chase Bank, No. 22-cv-02879-LB, 2022 WL 4229311, at *9 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 13, 2022) (granting
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`a stay where resolution of related claims in state court would “illuminate similar issues” in the
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`federal lawsuit); Zurich Am. Ins. Co. v. Omnicell, Inc., No. 18-CV-05345-LHK, 2019 WL 570760,
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`at *5–6 (N.D. Cal. Feb 12, 2019) (granting a stay after finding that defendant was “prejudiced” by
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`“having to fight a ‘two-front war’”) (citation omitted); McElrath v. Uber Techs., Inc., No. 16-CV-
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`07241-JSC, 2017 WL 1175591, at *6 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 30, 2017) (granting a stay where the instant
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`case was “in its early stages” and the outcome of the other case would “have a significant impact
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`on this case”). That is true regardless of “whether the separate proceedings are judicial,
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`administrative, or arbitral in character, and does not require that the issues in such proceedings are
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`necessarily controlling of the action before the court.” Leyva v. Certified Grocers of California,
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`Ltd., 593 F.2d 857, 863–64 (9th Cir. 1979).
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`Here, all of the relevant factors weigh in favor of granting a stay of this case.
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`A.
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`Plaintiffs will not be harmed by a stay.
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`Courts are “generally unwilling to presume delay is harmful without specific supporting
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`evidence.” Aliphcom v. Fitbit, Inc., 154 F. Supp. 3d 933, 938 (N.D. Cal. 2015). Here, Plaintiffs
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`cannot provide any evidence of harm from a stay.
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 7 of 13
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`As an initial matter, there is no immediate risk of the transaction closing, because there are
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`several regulatory obstacles to Microsoft completing its proposed acquisition of Activision. The
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`parties cannot close on their deal until they have regulatory approval from foreign regulators
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`including the EC and CMA, and that approval process will take at least several more months.
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`According to their public dockets, the EC’s current deadline for completing review is April 11,
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`2023, and the CMA’s deadline is April 26, 2023. See Ex. F, EC Docket Notice; Ex. G, CMA
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`Notice of Extension. Given that the parties are meanwhile unable to close the transaction, there is
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`no need to expend court and party resources to temporarily prevent the close of the transaction.
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`Cf. Cassan Enters., Inc. v. Avis Budget Grp., Inc., No. 10-cv-01934-JCC, slip op., at 5 (W.D.
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`Wash. Mar. 11, 2011) (“It is self-evident that Plaintiffs have not suffered any injury from the
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`proposed acquisition: It has not yet taken place.”) (emphasis omitted).
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`Moreover, the FTC’s ongoing litigation seeks precisely the same relief that Plaintiffs
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`want—to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision. Compare Ex. A, FTC Complaint,
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`at 23 (seeking a “prohibition against any transaction between Microsoft and Activision that
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`combines their businesses, except as may be approved by the Commission”) with Plaintiffs’
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`Complaint at 40–41 (seeking to “[p]reliminarily enjoin[] Defendants from consummating the
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`merger” or to “[p]ermanently enjoin[] Defendants from consummating the merger”). Plaintiffs’
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`interests are thus fully represented by the FTC. Cf. Howard Hess Dental Lab’ys Inc. v. Dentsply
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`dockfactor into its equitable analysis the effect of another injunction on the plaintiff’s showing of
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`injury.”). The FTC has statutory authority to seek a preliminary injunction or temporary
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`restraining order to block the acquisition. 15 U.S.C. § 53(a), (b). It has not done so yet because
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`there are other approvals currently preventing the parties from closing. At the January 3, 2023
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`scheduling conference in the FTC matter, the FTC’s trial counsel represented to the ALJ that it
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`would pursue a preliminary injunction in federal court at a later date if it becomes necessary. See
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`Ex. D, Transcript of FTC Initial Prehearing Scheduling Conference (Jan. 3, 2023), at 8:7–9.
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`The EC, the CMA, and the FTC are investigating the same issues raised by the Plaintiffs’
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`claims, the parties cannot close because of ongoing investigations, and the FTC can try to stop the
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`transaction to the extent there is any risk of the parties closing before that case is resolved.
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`-6-
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 8 of 13
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`Therefore, there is no risk of harm in staying Plaintiffs’ case while those regulatory proceedings
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`are ongoing.
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`Under these circumstances, a stay of this case would not harm Plaintiffs.
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`B. Microsoft will suffer hardship if a stay is denied.
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`By contrast, Microsoft will be harmed if a stay is denied. Absent a stay, Microsoft will be
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`forced to simultaneously litigate similar legal and factual issues before two different judges. That
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`two-front litigation would result in unnecessary duplication of litigation efforts and would create
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`a risk of inconsistent rulings. See Vance, 2021 WL 534363, at *5.
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`As for duplication, the Plaintiffs’ complaint raises many of the same issues as the FTC’s
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`complaint, so there is potential for “significant overlap in the discovery in both cases, creating
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`additional expenses” for the parties. Id. at *6; see also Arris Enters. LLC v. Sony Corp., No. 17-
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`CV-02669-BLF, 2017 WL 3283937, at *3 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 1, 2017) (noting that without a stay in
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`one action, the parties may “have to conduct multiple depositions of the same witnesses”). For
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`example, both complaints articulate similar theories about the potential anticompetitive effects of
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`the proposed transaction, including that Xbox would allegedly have the incentive to make popular
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`Activision games, like Call of Duty, exclusive to Xbox (despite Xbox’s public pledge to keep
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`existing Activision games on their existing platforms). Given the considerable overlap between
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`the complaints, there would necessarily be duplicative discovery. That unnecessary expense and
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`inefficiency would be avoided if the Court stays this case while the FTC case is ongoing.
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`As for the risk of inconsistent rulings, both complaints rest on a number of shared threshold
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`questions, the answers to which could lead to different conclusions about the ultimate antitrust
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`claims. For example, both complaints will require a determination of the relevant product markets
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`and of the scope of the relevant geographic market for these claims. If the two tribunals
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`simultaneously consider those questions, there is considerable “potential for inconsistent rulings
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`and resulting confusion.” Vance, 2021 WL 534363, at *5 (quotation omitted); see also SST
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`Millennium LLC v. Mission St. Dev. LLC, No. 18-CV-06681-YGR, 2019 WL 2342277, at *5 (N.D.
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`Cal. June 3, 2019) (finding that denying a stay would pose “hardship” to the moving party due to
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`the “possibility of inconsistent and adverse rulings” in the parallel action). And there are many,
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 9 of 13
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`many other overlapping questions between the two cases. For example, both complaints make
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`similar allegations about the anticompetitive effects of the transaction:
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`• Both complaints allege that the acquisition would give Microsoft the ability and incentive
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`to withhold Activision games, like Call of Duty, from other platforms;
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`• Both complaints allege that the acquisition would give Microsoft the ability and incentive
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`to degrade the quality of Activision games, like Call of Duty, provided to other platforms;
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`and
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`• Both complaints allege that the acquisition will allow Microsoft to increase its market
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`power in subscription services and cloud gaming.
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`Those overlapping questions, and others, further amplify the risk that simultaneous proceedings
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`could “produce a number of factually and legally inconsistent rulings.” Aliphcom, 154 F. Supp.
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`3d at 939–40.
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`There is simply no benefit to litigating the same issues twice—particularly where the
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`resolution of the FTC proceeding, which was first filed, could render the other litigation moot. See
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`Vance, 2021 WL 534363, at *5. Indeed, courts regularly dismiss private plaintiffs’ antitrust claims
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`when the relief sought by the private plaintiffs has already been secured by a government
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`enforcement action. See, e.g., DeHoog v. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, 899 F.3d 758, 765 (9th
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`Cir. 2018) (affirming district court’s dismissal of private plaintiffs’ antitrust claims where “the
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`DOJ reached a settlement to ‘prevent increased concentration’ in the market”); Edstrom v.
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`Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, No. C 13-1309 MMC, 2013 WL 5124149 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 13,
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`2013) (dismissing private plaintiffs’ antitrust claims where the merging parties had revised their
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`agreement to avoid the alleged anticompetitive behavior pursuant to a court order in a DOJ
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`enforcement action); Insulate SB, Inc. v. Advanced Finishing Sys., Inc., No. CIV. 13-2664
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`ADM/SER, 2014 WL 943224, at *9 (D. Minn. Mar. 11, 2014) (dismissing private plaintiffs’
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`request for injunctive relief where the requested relief “duplicates the FTC Order”).
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`The hardship that would result from denying the stay here thus weighs in favor of granting
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 10 of 13
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`C.
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`A stay will promote the orderly course of justice.
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`Finally, judicial economy strongly favors a stay of this action. Generally, “[d]uplication
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`of case management tasks by multiple courts is not an economical use of judicial resources.”
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`Vance, 2021 WL 534363, at *6. When considering whether to grant a stay, courts thus consider
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`the potential for “simplifying or complicating of issues, proof, and questions of law.” Lockyer,
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`398 F.3d at 1110 (quotation omitted).
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`As discussed above, there is considerable overlap between the legal and factual issues
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`presented in this case and the ongoing FTC litigation. Staying this case while the FTC litigation
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`is ongoing would thus simplify the issues in this matter. See SST Millennium, 2019 WL 2342277,
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`at *5 (“[G]iven the interdependence and identical nature of plaintiffs’ claims against each
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`defendant, resolution of plaintiffs’ claims against [the defendant in one action] will simplify issues,
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`proof, and questions of law with respect to the claims” at issue in the other.”) (citation and
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`quotation omitted). Although the FTC’s rulings are not binding on this court, “the discovery and
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`the rulings can still benefit this case.” Arris Enters. LLC, 2017 WL 3283937, at *4. By allowing
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`the FTC to “resolve some of these overlapping issues” in the first instance, this Court can avoid
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`inconsistent rulings and the prospect of wasting judicial resources on duplicative efforts. Vance,
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`2021 WL 534363, at *6. Indeed, as the Seventh Circuit has explained, “[c]ourts often wait for
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`agencies, even when the agencies’ views are not legally conclusive not only because the agencies
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`may have something helpful to say, but also because what the agencies do may shape the
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`litigation.” South Austin, 191 F.3d at 844.
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`The orderly course of justice would therefore be served by entering a stay in this case.
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`II.
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`CONCLUSION
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`For the foregoing reasons, Microsoft respectfully requests that the Court grant its motion
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`to stay further proceedings in this case. While the case is stayed, Microsoft will provide the Court
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`with timely updates of any material developments in the ongoing regulatory proceedings. If a stay
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`is entered, Microsoft would be willing to provide timely updates regarding any material
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`developments in the regulatory proceedings that would affect the timing of closing the transaction.
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`DEFENDANT MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY CASE
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 11 of 13
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`Dated:
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`January 11, 2023
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`By:
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`/s/ Rakesh N. Kilaru
`Rakesh N. Kilaru (pro hac vice)
`Anastasia M. Pastan (pro hac vice)
`Jenna Pavelec (pro hac vice)
`WILKINSON STEKLOFF LLP
`2001 M Street NW, 10th Floor
`Washington, DC 20036
`Telephone: (202) 847-4000
`Facsimile: (202) 847-4005
`rkilaru@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`apastan@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`jpavelec@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`
`Valarie C. Williams (Bar No. 335347)
`Tania Rice (Bar No. 294387)
`Alston & Bird LLP
`5600 Mission Street, Suite 2100
`San Francisco, CA 94105
`Telephone: (415) 243-1000
`Fax: (415) 243-1001
`valarie.williams@alston.com
`tania.rice@alston.com
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`Counsel for Defendant Microsoft Corp.
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 12 of 13
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`Rakesh N. Kilaru (pro hac vice)
`Anastasia M. Pastan (pro hac vice)
`Jenna Pavelec (pro hac vice)
`WILKINSON STEKLOFF LLP
`2001 M Street NW, 10th Floor
`Washington, DC 20036
`Telephone: (202) 847-4000
`Facsimile: (202) 847-4005
`rkilaru@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`apastan@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`jpavelec@wilkinsonstekloff.com
`
`Valarie C. Williams (Bar No. 335347)
`Tania Rice (Bar No. 294387)
`Alston & Bird LLP
`5600 Mission Street, Suite 2100
`San Francisco, CA 94105
`Telephone: (415) 243-1000
`Fax: (415) 243-1001
`valarie.williams@alston.com
`tania.rice@alston.com
`
`Counsel for Defendant Microsoft Corp.
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`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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`NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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`SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
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`DANTE DEMARTINI, CURTIS BURNS, JR.,
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`NICHOLAS ELDEN, JESSIE GALVAN,
`CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH GIDDINGS-
`LAFAYE, STEVE HERRERA, HUNTER
`JOSEPH JAKUPKO, DANIEL DERMOT
`ALFRED LOFTUS, BEOWULF EDWARD
`OWEN, and IVAN CALVO-PEREZ,
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`Plaintiffs,
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`v.
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`MICROSOFT CORPORATION, a
`Washington Corporation,
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`Defendant.
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING
`DEFENDANT MICROSOFT
`CORPORATION’S NOTICE OF MOTION
`AND MOTION TO STAY CASE;
`MEMORANDUM OF POINTS &
`AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT THEREOF
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`Date: February 16, 2023, or sooner if
`possible
`Time: 10:00 a.m.
`Location: Courtroom 8 – 19h Floor
`Judge: Hon. Jacqueline Scott Corley
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY
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`Case 3:22-cv-08991-JSC Document 26 Filed 01/11/23 Page 13 of 13
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`[PROPOSED] ORDER
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`Defendant Microsoft moved to stay all proceedings in this case pending the completion
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`of any regulatory proceedings that would prevent Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King from
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`closing their proposed transaction.
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`After considering the briefs, the arguments of counsel, and the evidence of record, the
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`Court GRANTS Defendant’s Motion to Stay and STAYS the case pending further action from
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`this Court. Defendant SHALL provide timely updates regarding any material developments in
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`the regulatory proceedings that would affect the timing of closing the transaction.
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`IT IS SO ORDERED.
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`Date: ______________, 2023
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`_____________________________
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`Hon. Jacqueline Scott Corley
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`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT JUDGE
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`Case No. 3:22-cv-08991-JSC
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`[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING MSFT’S MOTION TO STAY
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