Lord Pannick has a reputation as being one of the UK’s leading barristers. He has a long history of representing prominent clients in legal disputes. He represented the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the “Partygate’ investigation. In 2003, he was Queen Elizabeth’s lawyer and won an injunction for the Daily Mirror against a reporter who posed as Buckingham Palace footman.
This follows the blocking of a historic $69 Billion merger between Activision Blizzard, and Microsoft by CMA (UK’s Competition Watchdog). Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has vowed that he will fight to keep the deal alive. If successful, it would be the largest deal ever in the video games industry.
The hiring of Pannick by the company is a clear sign of its intent to appeal the decision of the watchdog.
Professor Suzanne Rab, a competition law barrister from Serle Court Chambers commented that this is not the first instance the CMA effectively stopped a major technology acquisition. The appeal process is a long one and the final outcome could be the same if there are errors found. These cases remind dealmakers that the CMA can impose significant global outcomes, even in foreign-toforeign mergers.