Open Markets, SOMO & the Balanced Economy Project Urge the UK Competition Authority to Reject Amazon’s Weak Commitments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 31, 2023
CONTACT: Max von Thun, vonthun@openmarketsinstitute.org
BRUSSELS – The Open Markets Institute, SOMO and the Balanced Economy Project today made a formal submission to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as part of the authority’s antitrust investigation of Amazon’s UK marketplace.
The CMA is investigating Amazon’s use of non-public third-party seller data to benefit its retail business, the discriminatory criteria Amazon sets for selecting which product offers are placed within the ‘Buy Box’, and which sellers can list products under Amazon’s ‘Prime label’.
Our joint submission focuses on the commitments Amazon has offered to the CMA in an attempt to end the investigation. It argues that these commitments are too vague and narrow, give Amazon too much leeway to escape or frustrate enforcement, and will be extremely challenging to monitor.
Our submission urges the CMA to reconsider its preliminary decision to accept Amazon’s weak commitments, and seriously consider structural measures to address the monopoly corporation’s profound conflicts of interest.
The submission comes as U.S. regulators are reportedly preparing a sweeping lawsuit against Amazon’s unfair methods of competition and violations of antitrust law in the U.S.
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