LONDON – European Union regulators on Tuesday accused Amazon of antitrust, saying the retail online retail giant had violated competition laws by unfairly using its size and access to data to harm small businesses that rely on the company to reach customers.
The European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-nation group, has abused Amazon’s dueling role as both a retailer used by millions of retailers and a merchant selling its rival goods on platforms. Authorities have accused Amazon of harvesting data from millions of merchants who use its market to view popular products, then copy them and sell them at lower prices.
“We must ensure that market-powered dual-roll platforms, such as Amazon, do not distort competition,” Margaret Vestager, vice president of the Digital Issues Commission, said in a statement. “Information on the activity of third-party vendors should not be used to Amazon’s advantage when it acts as a competitor to these vendors.”
The case, which has been expected for months, is the latest in a series of trans-Atlantic regulatory pressures against Amazon, Apple Paul, Facebook and Google, as officials in the United States and Europe take a more skeptical view of their business practices and dominance. The digital economy. Last month, the Justice Department filed a no-confidence motion against Google, and Apple and Facebook are also facing investigations in both Washington, Washington and Brussels.
Many in Europe will keep an eye out to see if President-elect Joseph R. How Amazon’s announcement is received by the incoming administration of Biden Jr., who is expected to adopt policies limiting the power of the industry. Although the Trump administration has criticized Ms. Westgar for targeting American companies like Trump Paul, it has begun its own investigation of the industry.
In the case of Amazon, Tuesday’s announcement was only part of the regulatory process. It will take several months or years before fines and other penalties are announced. The commission may also reach a settlement with Amazon.
The European Commission said it has also launched a new, parallel investigation of Amazon’s policies that could artificially favor its own retail offers Furs and products from other companies that pay to use Amazon’s logistics services.
Amazon had no immediate comment on the European Commission’s investigation. In the past, the company has denied misconduct and blamed its size for making a great product that consumers prefer.
