French ministry sues Amazon for abuse of dominant position

The French Ministry of Economy has filed a complaint against Internet giant Amazon, alleging that the company is guilty of abusing its dominant position. According to the complaint, the company is imposing unfair terms on sellers on its platform.

The French daily Le Parisien writes that the French ministry is asking for a fine of ten million euros, which would be a record amount if it was actually imposed. The complaint is before the Paris Commercial Court and follows a two-year investigation by the regulator Dgccrf.

According to the regulator, Amazon abuses its dominant position, for example by giving itself the opportunity to unilaterally change contracts and by requiring shorter delivery times from sellers. The company would also close sellers from its platform, for example if they do not meet the requirements. That happens automatically.

A spokesman for the French Ministry of Economy confirmed to Reuters that a complaint had been lodged, but declined to comment further. Amazon also did not respond. Last week, Spotify and Deezer, among others, complained about the dominant position of American companies such as Apple and Amazon.