The US regulator and the authorities of 17 states sued Amazon for monopolism – Kommersant

Today, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and prosecutors in 17 states across the country (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin) filed sue Amazon Corporation. The plaintiffs accuse the company of “acting as a monopolist, using anticompetitive and unfair strategies to unlawfully maintain its monopoly advantage.” The FTC and prosecutors in 17 states believe Amazon’s actions are intended to improperly prevent competitors and sellers from charging lower prices, thereby negatively impacting consumers.

Among these actions, the lawsuit mentions the following: Amazon tries to prevent the sale of goods at prices lower than Amazon itself offers. If the company discovers items at these prices, the seller of those items is “buried deep down” in Amazon’s product search results, “essentially becoming invisible.” Amazon is also reportedly pushing a Prime option on sellers, which requires them to enter into an agreement for shipping and other logistics services with Amazon contractors. The plaintiffs also accuse Amazon of misleading consumers by not clearly separating product search results from promotional offers and by ranking its offerings above those of third-party sellers in search results.

The plaintiffs ask the court to support their claim, recognizing Amazon’s actions as a monopoly, and to take measures to prevent them.

Previously F.T.C. filed another lawsuit against Amazon. According to the regulator, the company “deliberately deceived” users for years by connecting them to an Amazon Prime subscription without their consent. This subscription gives you access to Amazon’s video streaming service, free shipping, etc. and costs $139 per year.

Evgeny Khvostik