Facing prosecution! Amazon may meet with US antitrust agency next week

Amazon will meet with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) next week to discuss a possible future antitrust lawsuit against the retail giant , according to people familiar with the matter.

It is understood that the Federal Trade Commission began investigating Amazon during the administration of former President Donald Trump , when the government decided to investigate technology giants such as Amazon and Apple for suspected violations of antitrust laws.

The company has been criticized for allegedly favoring its own products over third-party sellers on its platform , according to the Federal Trade Commission , but Amazon has argued it has done nothing wrong.

Another source said Amazon is expected to debate the FTC in its meeting and try to persuade the FTC to drop its antitrust lawsuit against the company.

Traditionally, the FTC holds meetings with companies after lengthy investigations before deciding whether to file lawsuits.

The Federal Trade Commission declined to comment .

In fact, Amazon and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission have a long history. Before becoming the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan wrote an article titled "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox" for the Yale Law Journal in 2017 .

Amazon has long faced a range of accusations from critics, including using third-party data to decide which products to sell, favoring its own goods at the expense of independent sellers on the platform, and requiring sellers to use Amazon's logistics and delivery services.

Other critics say Amazon abuses its power by refusing to allow large competitors to advertise on its platform and by offering below-cost prices on goods and services to retain customers.

The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon in June, accusing it of signing up millions of consumers for its paid subscription Prime service without their consent and making it difficult to cancel.

It can be seen that the love-hate relationship between the US Federal Trade Commission and Amazon has a long history. From the seller's perspective, the antitrust investigation into Amazon may give some small and medium-sized sellers more room to survive.

Amazon

Antitrust