Amazon Agrees to Settle EU Antitrust Cases, Avoiding Fines -- WSJ

By Sam Schechner

Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to settle two European Union antitrust cases related to allegations about its treatment of third-party sellers on its platform, ending some of the bloc's most advanced cases targeting a U.S. tech company.

The U.S.-based online retailer won't pay a fine as part of the settlement, which it first proposed in July, but it will be forced for up to seven years to adhere to commitments to change certain business practices that EU regulators had alleged were harmful to third-party sellers on its platform.

As part of the deal, the company is committing to give third-party sellers that use Amazon an equal shot at being selected as the default option for the buttons in Amazon's buy box and to qualify for its Prime shipping program. The company will abstain from using non-public data about sellers on its marketplace in order to compete against them.

The deal settles charges the EU leveled against Amazon two years ago for allegedly violating competition law by using non-public information from merchants to compete against them. The EU since then has also been investigating potential charges related to the buy box and Prime program.

Amazon said Tuesday that it continues to disagree with several of the EU's allegations about its business practices, but engaged in a settlement in order to preserve its ability to serve customers and businesses in Europe.

Write to Sam Schechner at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 20, 2022 07:20 ET (12:20 GMT)

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