Amazon being sued by FTC
You will have to look this up as I don't think links are allowed, but the headlines read:
"The FTC said it filed an antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, backed by the attorneys general of 17 states."
Amazon being sued by FTC
You will have to look this up as I don't think links are allowed, but the headlines read:
"The FTC said it filed an antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, backed by the attorneys general of 17 states."
0 replies
Seller_hWdCoVaEUQvfS
It's about time. Their control of the online "marketplace" makes a mockery of the word.
Seller_Qbd0RsfZFEZBY
As long as the money flows to congress and our representitives have family who lobby for big tech nothing is going to change.
Seller_AN7y1CrDAvd9G
"Other allegations include that Amazon gave preference to its own products on its platforms over competitors also on the platform."
"FTC Chair Lina Khan said that Amazon had used illegal tactics to fend off companies that would have risen to challenge its monopoly."
"Amazon punished sellers that sought to offer prices that were lower than Amazon's by making it difficult for consumers to find the seller on Amazon's platform."
Seller_tcwwJM3S0wBFE
Summary by Axios:
The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon over alleged anticompetitive business practices in a long-awaited lawsuit against the massive online retailer and platform.
Why it matters: A win for the FTC, led by Democrat Lina Khan, could fundamentally alter the way Amazon's business operates.
Driving the news: The FTC voted 3-0 to proceed with the Amazon suit, per an announcement Tuesday.
Rumors of a big Amazon FTC case have been flying for years, starting under the Trump administration, and the agency started working on its complaint in earnest earlier this year.
17 state attorneys general also signed onto the complaint.
What they're saying: Amazon "is a monopolist that uses a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain its monopoly power," the FTC said in a statement.
"Amazon's actions allow it to stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing against Amazon," the agency says.
The other side: "The lawsuit filed by the FTC today is wrong on the facts and the law, and we look forward to making that case in court," David Zapolsky, Amazon senior vice president of global public policy and general counsel, said in a statement.
"The practices the FTC is challenging have helped to spur competition and innovation across the retail industry, and have produced greater selection, lower prices, and faster delivery speeds for Amazon customers and greater opportunity for the many businesses that sell in Amazon's store," Zapolsky said.
Between the lines: Khan has been eyeing Amazon since she was a law student and won attention for a paper on how antitrust law should be applied to the online retail giant.
The big picture: Under Khan, the FTC has suffered a string of losses in court attempting to bring down Big Tech companies, including a bid to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and an attempt to keep Meta from buying virtual reality fitness startup Within.
The FTC also sued Amazon in June for allegedly tricking people into Prime memberships and making it difficult to cancel, Axios previously reported, and added names of executives to the suit last week. Amazon said the suit was wrong on "both the facts and the law."
Seller_KBQHUS0yT2Foj
Hi all, my company is a large FBA bookseller on Amazon.
I am quite concerned that if this FTC lawsuit is successful there will be some major pitfalls for many Amazon sellers that we may not have considered.
There was a similar lawsuit in the UK against Amazon, and the result was that Amazon was forced to have MF offers and FBA offers compete against each other head to head based on price alone to win the Buy Box. If this same policy happens in the US, it could cause massive problems for companies that sell mostly through FBA since all MF sellers will win the Buy Box over you if they have a slightly lower price.
In other words, I don't believe that this FTC lawsuit is in the interest of us and many other sellers.
Seller_24FzucbyGtgZS
Did everyone get the email from Amazon calling us "partners"?
Hey Amazon - you are NOT our "partner" and we are NOT your partner (as the Seller Agreement clearly states.
Seller_AIRITDSCLw7ch
I would like to know how amazon's accelerator program isn't a clear violation of the Anti Trust law. I was an amazon accelerator member and was recruited by amazon b/c of my brand performace and products. I was told it was a path to becoming a private brand supplier for amazon. They charged an additional 7% fees, and then completely shut down. It took months emailing anyone to get disenrolled- all the while they kept charging me an extra 7% on every sale. THE KICKER and why it is a violation of the law is they prohibited you from selling anywhere besides amazon- couldn't even sell on my own website. I want the excessive fees that I was charged for a program that just closed and abandoned sellers it recruited!!!! Enough is enough!
