Judge Dismisses Ollywan Antitrust Lawsuit Against Meta Platforms

US Magistrate Judge Virginia DeMarchi dismissed an antitrust lawsuit brought by the London-based startup Ollywan against Meta Platforms Inc. The plaintiff alleged that Meta illegally monopolized shopping on Instagram by stealing the business plan for Winstag, a tag-based shopping platform launched in 2016. Ollywan claimed Meta executives obtained the plan under confidentiality agreements prior to the launch of Instagram Shopping.

Judge DeMarchi ruled that the claims were filed outside the four-year federal window for antitrust actions and failed to plausibly demonstrate harm to competition. The court also rejected Ollywan's challenge to Meta's enforcement of trademark rights regarding the Winstag name.

Meta denied all wrongdoing, asserting that Ollywan is attempting to blame the company for the startup's own failure. While the current claims were dismissed, the judge will allow Ollywan to file an amended lawsuit under specific limitations.