Amazon appears to be on the right track in its attempts to appease EU antitrust authorities with regard to two probes opened by the European Commission (EC).
The first investigation relates to Amazon’s use of non-public seller data. The second has to do with the way the Amazon Prime service and the Offer Display (previously known as the Buy Box) feature favor Amazon’s own retail business, as well as marketplace sellers that use Amazon’s logistics and delivery services.
After making a number of commitments to change the way Amazon marketplace operates so as to alleviate the Commission’s concerns, these were published by the EC which requested feedback from affected stakeholders.
In its offer to settle the two cases, Amazon committed to stop using data on independent sellers to the advantage of its own competing retail business. Amazon also committed to applying “non-discriminatory criteria conditions and criteria in determining the Featured Offer” including the removal of Prime eligibility as a relevant criterion for selection as a Featured Offer.
Read more: Amazon Pitches Deal to Remedy EU Antitrust Charges While Watchdog Seeks Feedback
While the EC’s call for comments was open until September 9, comments made by the EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager Friday (Sept. 16) suggest that the changes proposed by Amazon have alleviated at least some of the Commission’s concerns.
In a speech in the U.S. today Vestager said, “the commitments offered by Amazon appear relevant to address the harm and have the potential to transform Amazon’s business model as a marketplace and retailer,” as reported in Bloomberg.
She added that “we are not there yet” and that the EC is still in the process of accessing feedback.
In its response to the Commission’s call for feedback, the Balanced Economy Project, a non-profit civil group that campaigns against Monopolies wrote: “While these [proposals] might seem positive at first glance, we believe these are an attempt by Amazon to forestall and delay effective measures against its abusive activities and its dominant position.”
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