Austria’s Competition Authority Investigating Amazon’s treatment of Austrian sellers

Similar to the European Commission’s investigation and the stand-alone German and Italian investigations into Amazon’s anti-competitive behaviour, Austria is now investigating whether Amazon is exploiting its market dominance in relation to other retailers that use its website as a marketplace.

The Austrian regulator said it would examine terms and conditions under which the U.S. online giant grants Austrian vendors access to its marketplace.

In a statement, it said “[T]here is a suspicion that Amazon puts other retailers on a disadvantage on its marketplace, thereby trying to favor its own offerings,” it said in a statement.

The regulator said unfair trade practices which might be considered include abrupt termination of seller accounts, obligations to disclose purchase prices and jurisdiction clauses that complicate taking legal action.

Director General Theodor Thanner said, “[T]he outcome might be commitments, an application for a fine or an application for termination of infringements to the cartel court.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-competition-amazon-com/amazon-faces-probe-into-treatment-of-sellers-in-austria-idUSKCN1Q315G

Author: Kirsti Knolle     Publication: Reuters