Facebook offered to license its network and code to avoid antitrust action

In the wake of the groundbreaking Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against Facebook, The Washington Post is reporting new details of the company’s negotiations with regulators in the run-up to the case, including an unusual offer to license its code and network to competitors.

According to the Post’s reporting, Facebook was willing to significantly alter its business practices in order to avoid litigation, including one measure “allow[ing] another firm or developer to license access to its powerful code — and its users’ intricate web of relationships — so that they could more easily create their own version of a social network.”

Ultimately, the FTC declined Facebook’s offer, filing an antitrust complaint against the company on December...

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