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66 This photograph taken connected June 14, 2023, shows US institution Amazon's radical logo astatine the Vivatech exertion startups and innovation just astatine the Porte de Versailles accumulation centre successful Paris.
Alain Jocard | AFP | Getty Images
Amazon connected Wednesday offered commitments to the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority aft Britain's contention watchdog raised concerns astir the U.S. e-commerce giant's attraction of third-party sellers.
The CMA said the remedies offered by Amazon, if accepted, would code its contention concerns arsenic portion of an probe that began conscionable implicit a twelvemonth ago.
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In July 2022, the CMA opened a probe into Amazon alleging it was abusing its beardown marketplace position by giving an unfair vantage to its ain retail concern and sellers that usage its services implicit third-party merchants connected its marketplace.
The CMA connected Wednesday said Amazon has offered a fig of commitments.
One of those commitments proposes to guarantee Amazon does not usage rival sellers' marketplace information to summation an unfair vantage implicit different sellers. The CMA had raised concerns that Amazon's entree to "commercially delicate data" relating to third-party sellers could springiness the e-commerce elephantine an vantage successful deciding which products to merchantability and however to acceptable prices.
Amazon's commitments besides projected to warrant each merchandise offers are treated arsenic erstwhile the institution decides which ones volition beryllium featured successful the "Buy Box." This is an country connected Amazon's merchandise pages that gives customers a one-click enactment to "Buy Now" oregon "Add to Basket."
The CMA is acrophobic that products sold by third-party sellers were little apt to look successful the "Buy Box" than Amazon's ain products.
Amazon offered to let third-party sellers to negociate their ain rates straight with providers of Amazon's Prime transportation service, according to the CMA.
As portion of the proposals to the CMA, Amazon volition beryllium required to name an autarkic trustee to show the company's compliance with its commitments to the regulator. The CMA volition person a "direct say" successful this appointment.
"Amazon's commitments to the CMA volition assistance guarantee that third-party sellers connected Amazon Marketplace tin vie connected a level-playing tract against Amazon's ain retail concern and, ultimately, mean that customers successful the UK get a amended deal," Ann Pope, elder manager for enforcement astatine the CMA, said successful a property release.
"We are present consulting connected these commitments which we believe, astatine this stage, volition code our concerns."
Amazon's marketplace practices were besides concerning to European Union regulators that were probing akin issues to the U.K. since 2019. In December, Amazon offered akin commitments to the European Commission, the EU's enforcement arm, to code its concerns.
But scrutiny connected Amazon continues to ramp up successful the U.S.
On Tuesday, Politico reported that the Federal Trade Commission is finalizing a large antitrust suit against Amazon successful assorted areas of its business.
