Justice Department, Antitrust Division
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Justice Antitrust Division Notice is hereby given pursuant to the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. 16(b)-(h) , that a proposed Final Judgment, Stipulation, and Competitive Impact Statement have been filed with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in United States of America v. Activision Blizzard, Inc., Civil Action No 1:23-cv-00895. On April 3, 2023, the United States filed a Complaint alleging that Activision Blizzard, Inc. (“Activision”) and the teams in the Overwatch and Call of Duty Leagues owned by Activision agreed to suppress wages for professional esports players through the imposition of a “Competitive Balance Tax,” which penalized any team that paid total annual compensation to its players above a certain threshold set by Activision, in violation of section 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. 1 . The proposed Final Judgment, filed at the same time as the complaint, requires Activision to certify that it has ended all rules in the Overwatch and Call of Duty Leagues that impose an upper threshold on compensation for any player or players in those leagues; prohibits Activision from reinstating or implementing any rule that imposes an upper limit on compensation for any player or players in any professional esports league owned or controlled by Activision; requires Activision to provide notice of the meaning and requirements of the Final Judgment to all teams and players in professional esports…
Citation: 88 FR 25015
