At the same time, the judge suggested that the FTC faced an uphill battle to prove its claims.
“The Commission faces hard questions about whether its claims can hold up in the crucible of trial,” the judge said. “Indeed, its positions at times strain this country’s creaking antitrust precedents to their limits.”
The FTC, led by Trump-appointed chairman Andrew Ferguson, has signaled it will continue to maintain a hardline stance toward the tech industry.
This week, the FTC confirmed it would pursue a lawsuit against Amazon for alleged deceptive practices involving its Prime subscription service – hours after it asked for a delay in proceedings due to a lack of resources.