Meta wins dismissal of Instagram Shopping antitrust suit

Meta Platforms persuaded a US federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the company of monopolizing shopping on Instagram and copying the business plan of a failed startup, Reuters reported. US Magistrate Judge Virginia DeMarchi in San Jose dismissed claims brought by London-based Ollywan, which said Meta copied its tag-based shopping concept before launching Instagram Shopping in 2016. The judge found that Ollywan’s antitrust claims were filed too late and did not plausibly show harm to competition. She also ruled that antitrust law does not prevent Meta from enforcing its trademark rights over the name Winstag. Meta denied wrongdoing and said Ollywan was using antitrust law to blame the company for its own app’s failure. The judge will allow Ollywan to file an amended complaint subject to limitations. Ollywan’s case is separate from other antitrust litigation involving Meta, including a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit the company defeated last year. Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.