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Amazon offers concessions to resolve EU antitrust probes

Amazon offers concessions to resolve EU antitrust probes
Image Credits: ABC17News

According to European Commission officials, Amazon has offered to make several concessions in its European business practices to resolve two ongoing antitrust investigations targeting the company’s access to third-party seller data and its use to benefit retail business on the platform.

As part of the proposed changes, Amazon has offered not to use data gathered from third-party sellers for its own retail decisions, such as choosing what products to sell under Amazon’s private label. Amazon has also offered to treat all sellers equally when deciding which one to feature most highly in its product listings in a space on its website known as the Buy Box.

Additionally, Amazon proposed to offer a second seller placement in the Buy Box, boosting visibility for more sellers, and made several commitments related to sellers’ business relationships with Amazon Prime, including the ability to use any shipping carrier they desire rather than Amazon’s own fulfillment services.

These concessions aim to divert the mounting regulatory and legislative scrutiny of the company worldwide in line with an impending Senate floor vote due this summer and a similar competition law in the EU which could place several restrictions on Amazon’s lines of business.

Members of the public will have until Sept. 9 to submit comments on the proposed concessions. If approved, the concessions would last for five years, and violations could lead to fines against Amazon of up to 10% of its global revenue, EU officials said in a release.

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