Facebook fights UK merger regulator over Giphy acquisition

The CMA said previously there is ‘a general lack of independence of the Giphy business from Facebook’ due to certain clauses in Facebook employment contracts that Giphy employees were transferred to. —Dreamstime/TNS

Facebook Inc became the latest tech giant to complain about the overreach of the UK’s merger watchdog, warning that its demands were unreasonable and disproportionate.

The social network has appealed to the UK’s antitrust tribunal, saying that the Competition and Markets Authority, which is considering investigating Facebook’s purchase of Giphy, has so far refused to ease up on requirements ensuring that the two companies remain separate during the merger probe. The complaint was made public in a filing Friday.