Meta Beats Antitrust Suit by Defunct Social Media App Phhhoto

Meta Platforms Inc. defeated antitrust litigation Thursday over its alleged scheme to crush Phhhoto Inc., a defunct social media startup that featured short, looped videos.

Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto dismissed claims that Meta’s senior leaders made bogus overtures about integrating some features while building a “clone” and adopting secret algorithm changes aimed at suppressing Phhhoto’s content.

Matsumoto, writing for the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, said Phhhoto waited too long to sue under the four-year statute of limitations. She agreed with Meta’s argument that the filing window closed in April 2020, a year and a ...